His Britannia
by Imperator's slave
Summary: After killing his parents Lelouch made a different decision about world destiny. There will not be Zero Requiem. There will be Emperor Lelouch vi Britannia the conqueror of the world!
1. New Age

**Kamine Island.**

Lelouch was in somewhat of a daze as he, Suzaku and C.C. exited the Thought Elevator. All that he could think about was that he had done it, after nearly nine years since his exile he'd finally done it! He'd killed his father, Charles zi Britannia, the Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire, at long last.

And yet, so much that he hadn't foreseen had also been revealed...his mother - no, she didn't deserve that title - Marianne had been just as involved in everything that had happened to him and Nunnally as the emperor. Her culpability was part of the reason why he was so out of sorts right now; even though he'd heard and seen the proof in C's World, it was still a blow to everything he thought he understood. How? How could she have done that? Were he and Nunnally so unimportant that she could so easily throw them both aside?

In the end it didn't matter, she was now truly dead along with her husband, adding to the list of the dead Lelouch was responsible for. And what a list it was: Rolo, Shirley, Euphie...even Nunnally. They were all gone now just so he could obtain victory. And that wasn't all he'd lost recently, the Black Knights had betrayed him to his brother Schneizal after being told of his Geass, and now he didn't even have Kallen anymore (never mind that he'd done it to save her life).

So many dead...so many betrayals...had it all been worth it?

"Lelouch." Speaking of betrayal, the voice of his childhood friend pulled him out of his morose thoughts and he turned to face Suzaku Kururugi, traitor to Japan and the memory of their friendship. The man who swore to kill him, but instead dragged him before the emperor and assisted in violating him in the worst possible way. The one who pulled the trigger on that monstrous weapon that killed Nunnally.

"What will you do now?" He asked presently, though there was an undercurrent of tension in his voice as if he was preparing to pounce.

The question also brought the third member of their group to a halt, the green haired immortal witch C.C., and who also noticed Suzaku's stiff posture and immediately tensed as well.

 _Don't die looking like that! You should come to death smiling! I promise you the smile you never had!_

This boy had taken Lelouch from her once already, that wasn't going to happen again.

As for Lelouch himself, he initially remained quiet. But then he turned to look his old friend dead in the eye, his own amethyst orbs flaming alight with the red crane symbol of Geass. The inhuman appearance was enough to send a shiver down Suzaku's spine, it was as if Satan himself was staring down into his very soul. Expression wise Lelouch was completely blank, however that was simply to keep the vast sea of emotions within him from running wild.

What he truly wanted was Jeremiah's presence. His Geass Canceller would be very useful right now, Suzaku's irritating 'live' command was getting in the way of another one that he so desperately wanted to give. As it stood however, his faithful knight didn't even know if he was alive right now meaning that particular brand of vengeance was out of his hands.

Therefore, all Lelouch could really do was shrug before turning on his heel. "What I do with myself now is of no concern to you, Sir Kururugi." He threw over his shoulder as he made his way to the exit of the cave, C.C. immediately falling in line beside him.

They didn't get too far though before the fallen knight rushed ahead of them and barred the exit with his sword. "You murdered Euphie!"

 _And you killed Nunnally._

"And?" Lelouch as simply, not betraying anything, though his casual response threw Suzaku for a loop. "If that's all you have to say to me, then I'll be on my way."

"NO!" The traitorous knight yelled angrily, his face overcome with pure fury and hatred. "I thought you realised the consequences of your actions, but you're still the same!" He raised his sword up, taking it in both hands and directing its sharp tip straight at Lelouch. "I'm going to do what I should've done the last time we were here!"

Without another word he lunged forward, his focus directed solely on the man in front of him who had taken away so much for something so petty. However, because he was focussed only on Lelouch, he completely forgot about C.C. who had up to this point remained silent. No more though as suddenly she was in between the two of them, looking to take the blow herself.

"C.C.!" Lelouch's distressed cry caught them both by surprise, but it turned out to be unnecessary as moments before the blade could pierce her, C.C. grabbed it between her palms. Using his momentum against him, she redirected the sword off to the side forcing Suzaku along with it, tripping him with a well placed leg just as he came passed her.

The end result was the Knight of Seven falling end over end, his sword clattering out of his grasp and far from Lelouch. For a moment, both knight and revolutionary stared at her before C.C. focussed a cold glare on the former. "You heard him, boy. We are leaving. Do not stand in our way again."

Her threat snapped Lelouch out of his stupor, though whether it was because of his partner's voice or the fact that she was calling someone else 'boy' for a change even he wasn't quite sure, and he let out a little chuckle as his witch returned to his side. He spared Suzaku one final glance, regrets of the past - where he was concerned at least - finally washed away, and then exited the cave, C.C.'s hand in his own.

The world they returned to was considerably much quieter than when Lelouch had gone inside. Bismarck and his reinforcements must have finished sweeping away the Britannian 'rebels' he had acquired upon his arrival on Kamine Island. What he hadn't expected to see was the other airship flying alongside the _Great Britannia._ The Black Knights' _Ikaruga_ battleship was flying in formation with the Britannian airships, their Akatsuki Knightmares returning to their berths.

 _If I needed any further proof that my soldiers are now the puppets of my brother._ Lelouch thought to himself as he led C.C. towards where he'd hidden the Shinkiro. He let out a heavy sigh which caught his partner's attention.

"You're not thinking of stopping now are you?" She asked him, leaning in against him. "You've killed Charles and Marianne, so what of our contract? Are you simply going to forget what you owe me?"

Her question brought a small smile to his lips and Lelouch decided to surprise her by letting go of her hand, only to wrap his arm around her and pull her close to him. C.C.'s little shocked squeak was music to his ears and he couldn't resist placing a small kiss on her brow, right over her Code. "I haven't forgotten, my witch." He murmured into her hair "Did I not promise you the smile you've always deserved? But I must know: Will you stay with me?"

He pulled away so they could look each other in the eye, both of them needing complete honesty on what each of them were asking. A moment later, C.C. gave him her classic smirk and asked him, "How's this for an answer?" Before he knew it she'd leaned in and placed a kiss on his lips. Unlike the last two times she'd done this, however, Lelouch returned the chaste gesture giving her his answer in as intimate a way he could.

The kiss only lasted a moment, but it was more than enough for them to reinforce their contract with each other. When it ended Lelouch kept his arm around her, whilst C.C. wrapped hers around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder, and announced his intentions. "Very well then. In that case, we should make all speed to Pendragon."

"The capital?" C.C. blinked at him, curious. "Why would you want to go there?"

A very familiar grin suddenly streaked across Lelouch's face as they resumed their leisurely walk. "Well as far as I know, it's bad form for the new emperor to miss his coronation."

* * *

 **A month later. Pendragon.**

The great throne room of the emperor was filled to capacity. Almost every prince, princess and noble in the empire had been called into attendance by command of His Royal Majesty the Emperor after over a month of silence. Why he'd been quiet for so long, no one was quite sure, but today he was to give a statement to the whole empire at once. What this statement involved however was just as secret as where he'd been all this time and so understandably many of the attending parties were rather concerned.

Looking around the vast hall, it was clear to some of the more astute nobles that key members of court were missing. For starters, Bismarck Waldstein, the Knight of One and the emperor's personal bodyguard, was missing. The only thing anyone had heard from him was over a month ago when he'd announced the emperor had gone missing. But if he'd been found then why was Bismarck still not present?

Possibly even more important and therefore worrying was the lack of attendance of Prince Schneizal. As Heir Presumptive, not to mention as Prime Minister of Britannia, it didn't look good if he was missing. More worryingly was the fact that he'd been missing almost as long as the emperor, leading many in the nobility to suspect his involvement in his father's sudden disappearance.

Princesses Cornelia and Marrybell were also absent, though this was far less concerning for those in attendance. Both of them were soldiers and therefore much more easily explained. After all, Cornelia had thrown away her claim to the throne when she went off on a fool's errand to prove her sister Euphemia's innocence for the Massacre of the Special Administrated Zone of Japan.

All speculation fell silent however when a royal guard stepped forward and announced, "Presenting His Royal Majesty, the Emperor of Britannia!"

Everyone froze to attention, awaiting the ominous arrival of the most powerful man in the world. They were in for quite a shock when that man revealed himself.

* * *

 **Ashford Academy.**

"Wah!" Rivalz almost fainted when he saw who it was taking his seat in the emperor's throne. "It can't be!"

* * *

 **Bridge of Ikaruga.**

The entire command group of the Black Knights stared at the large screen before them, shock and terror running through their systems as the emperor sat himself down.

"How..." Kallen was the only one able to manage a coherent phrase, and even then it was an effort, "how did he manage...?"

* * *

 **Pendragon, Throne Room.**

The man who took his seat in the emperor's throne was not the large imposing figure of Charles zi Britannia, nor was it the charming silver tongued Schneizal el Britannia. Instead a ghost sat before them, dressed in the black uniform of Ashford Academy, the long believed dead Prince Lelouch vi Britannia, eldest child of Empress Marianne.

"It's impossible." Carine voiced the thoughts of many who were staring at this unexpected return.

"Lelouch?" Guinevere asked, "Is that really you?"-asked first princess Guinevere de Britannia.

The Black Prince glanced over at her, allowing an imposing smirk to carry over his face, "Yes, indeed it is me, sister. I have returned from the depths of hell intact, and now prepared to begin my duties as 99th Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire."

His announcement was met with the beginnings of low muttering that threatened to turn into outcries of incredulity, however the mediocre Odysseus quickly stepped forward. "Lelouch, it gladdens me to see you alive and well. When Nunnally was found, we did begin to hope that you would be discovered to. But now, don't you think this little joke's gone on far enough? That's the seat of the emperor, our fath-"

"Charles Zi Britannia, 98th Emperor, is dead." Lelouch cut in, silencing the entire hall - and indeed the rest of the world as well - at once. "And I am the one who took his life. Therefore, by the rites of conquest, that makes me the new Emperor of Britannia!"

The mood of the assembled aristocracy suddenly changed again, going from shock and disbelief to outright fury. How dare this little upstart try to worm his way into power?!

"Guards!" Guinevere called, "Seize this murderer at once!"

A detachment immediately rushed to carry out her commands, their loyalty to Emperor Charles even now burning with a righteous fire. However they never got anywhere near Lelouch. Before they could even set foot on the first step leading up to the throne, something descended from above, striking down on the halberds that the palace guards were holding, sending their blades flying off and embedding themselves in between them and this new assailant.

"HOW DARE YOU RAISE YOUR HANDS IN DEFIANCE TO HIS MAJESTY?!" Barked the madly loyal cyborg where he landed, standing straight and glaring down on all of them. However, if one looked closely they would notice he was glaring directly into the lens of the camera that was broadcasting this drama worldwide. "I advise you all to hide yourselves away and pray for mercy, for none are safe from the might and loyalty of Jeremiah Gottwald!"

Such a display had the nobility freeze up again as the man himself took up a defensive position on Lelouch's right. The prince himself just chuckled before waving his hand at his servant. "I suppose introductions are unnecessary now, but for the sake of principles allow me to introduce you all to Jeremiah Gottwald, captain of my royal guard."

His words seemed to have some unspoken command as suddenly behind him ten more figures descended. Dressed in scarlet robes and wearing pointed helmets they were a foreboding image to behold, made even more so by the fact that their faces were completely mask by black visors. They too moved in front of their master to defend him, now outnumbering the guards who had tried to assault his person.

For even the slowest of individuals now it was clear what was going on; this was a usurpation of the throne, and Lelouch had done it without even trying.

"Lelouch, please," Odysseus tried again, hoping to end this foolish action before it got out of hand. "This simply won't do. Pulling a stunt like this on an international broadcast-"

"Is that so?" Lelouch asked, once again cutting his brother off, before standing up and walking forward so that he was in front of his faceless guards. "Then let me make this simple enough for you all to understand." And then he reached up and pulled away the purple contact lenses that kept his Geass at bay. "Now, acknowledge me as emperor!"

"Lelouch," the Crown Prince tried one last time to reason with his little brother, "I must insist that you stop joking around and-" but it was too late. Lelouch had set his gaze upon the entire hall, taking the minds of every one of the nobility. A moment later, Odysseus snapped to attention with a frantically loyal grin. "We hear and obey, Your Majesty!"

"All hail Emperor Lelouch!" His sisters uttered, hands on hearts.

"All hail Lelouch!" The rows behind them chanted.

"All Hail Lelouch!" The 99th Emperor grinned evilly at his new subjects' unquestioning loyalty to him and his vision.

"ALL HAIL LELOUCH!" It was time to get to work.

"ALL HAIL LELOUCH!"

* * *

 **Cambodia.**

The gathered court in exile stared silently at the transmission, reactions varying from surprise to confusion to outrage. The Knights of One and Seven fell considerably into the third category. _So this is it, Lelouch?_ Suzaku seethed at what he saw the usurper doing on screen. _This is your response to everything that's happened?! Will you not be satisfied until everyone does exactly what you say?!_

At his side, Gino was particularly more shocked than anything else. "Lelouch is royalty? Our Lelouch? The guy who Milly ordered around like a slave is one of our princes?!"

At the head of the table, two of the three missing royals watched the broadcast with considerably differing expressions. Cornelia was fuming at the sight of Euphie's killer now controlling the empire he'd sworn to destroy. As for Schneizal however, he held an amused smirk on his hand whilst twirling a white king piece through his fingers. "My, Lelouch, you truly know how to put on a spectacle. But now that you've returned the game can truly begin. I wonder, what will the world choose?"

* * *

 **Throne Room.**

"ALL HAIL LELOUCH!"

 _I could get used to hearing that._ The man in question thought to himself with amusement as he overlooked the entire hall. Many of these faces he didn't recognise...but the ones he did were faces he'd burned into his mind nearly a decade ago. Those who had called him 'Commoner Prince' now bent the knee before him. Oh how beautifully ironic!

How long he had wanted this, this position of absolute authority! The whole empire was now his to do as he pleased with it, which was exactly what was needed for the next step of his plan. Raising his hand, he was further gratified to see the entire hall go absolutely silent. But this next statement was not for them, it was for those watching him at home in the supposed safety of their living rooms or their beds. It was for those who were currently drinking their sorrows away in dank hovels that dared to call themselves inns. It was for all those who the strong had stood upon, now to rise at last.

"As we all know, my late father, Charles zi Britannia, believed that all men are not created equal, that the strong were destined to rule over the weak and thus maintain the world order. He was only partially mistaken. No single man is equal to another in any sense of the word. There are the strong and there are the weak, there is no denying this truth. Yet does this mean the strong have the right to trample over the weak without a care in the world? I say it is not so!

"Emperor Charles cared only for power, and see where that path brought him: death at the hands of one whom he stood on. He cared nothing for his people, or even his own family! And yet I, who had no power all throughout my life, was able to stand before this tyrant and bring him to his knees! Let this be a lesson to all those with power who abuse their stations or betray their vows! The strong exist to aid the weak! If they do not, then we weaklings shall rise and destroy them and march on to create a gentle world! The world my late sisters Euphemia li Britannia and Nunnally vi Britannia wished for: a world where we are all united in peace. I say now is the time that we must make that world a reality!

"I call upon all weaklings in the world, rise! And together, we shall take the future for ourselves!"

And then, raising his fist to the heavens, Lelouch uttered a phrase that he thought would never pass through his lips.

"ALL HAIL BRITANNIA!"

* * *

 **Somewhere in Europe.**

Deep in one of the more hidden regions of what was once the EU, the command team of W-0 unit watched the global transmission in varying degrees of awe. None of them had anticipated returning to military service after their campaign against Euro Britannia ended, but certain changes in the world had necessitated their return - namely the unexpected return of Area 11's menace Zero. However, after Britannia completely annexed the European territories or the leaders broke away to join the UFN, the elite unit had found themselves and a quandary over what to do now.

Even their commanding officer, the blonde major Leila Malcal, was at a loss now and while she was grateful for their continued support she just didn't have any clue over what use she was to anyone anymore...until now. The news that Emperor Charles was dead set of cheers of joy all throughout their base, only to be hushed when the bearer of this news declared himself the new emperor. Many couldn't believe what they were hearing, that spindly little kid killed the giant of a man Charles zi Britannia? Ridiculous.

Yet somehow Leila found herself believing it the more Lelouch vi Britannia spoke. And as his speech continued on into his declaration that the weak held true power, she noted others were becoming transfixed by his speech, enough to ignore the fact that this was technically a usurpation. But it was more than that, there was something about this young man, something familiar.

It was his eyes. Something about them struck a chord with Leila, something she'd seen long ago when she was just a little girl, barely surviving on her own...but what was it?

* * *

 **Prison Alcatraz**

In Britannia's worst kept secret prison for political opponents, even here the broadcast reached the ears of its inmates. Emperor Lelouch's words stirred up a powder keg and now any number of prisoners were cheering his name, finally a royal who stood against Charles zi Britannia's madness! It didn't matter when the guards came in to beat them silent, their plight had been realised at last! The guards kept hitting them, and they kept chanting the same thing over and over again: All hail Lelouch!

But in one cell was a special prisoner. He was a particularly large man, well into his forties, sporting violet hair. When he heard Lelouch declare the emperor dead, his strong silver eyes went wide with awe before descending into tears as he realised the meaning behind all of this.

"Young prince," he whispered to himself, barely containing his sobs "You've done it. You avenged your mother!" Tears still streaming down his face, the man suddenly broke into insane laughter and he rushed over to the bars, pressing his face as hard as he could against them, yelling for all his worth, hoping the warden himself heard him. "YOU HEAR THAT YOU FOOLS?! MY PRINCE HAS AVENGED LADY MARIANNE!"

* * *

 **Boston Military Academy.**

The trainees had gathered in the main hall at the behest of headmaster Ozpin to see what their glorious leader had to say. By the end of it, each and every one of them were talking amongst themselves about what this could all mean. A pair of girls in particular, a dark skinned girl with silver hair and a pale ravenette, were discussing the new man in charge.

"What are you think about the new emperor, Cinder?" The former asked the latter.

The girl in question glanced at her, though her amber eyes immediately flicked back to the screen where Emperor Lelouch had raised his fist in determination, chanting the nation's motto. "I think," she began softly, "that the world just became a lot more interesting."

 _Very interesting indeed,_ she considered to herself privately, sending him her unspoken gratitude through a small smile. After all, it's not every day you find out that the man you've hated all your life was murdered by his own son.

* * *

 **Area 24**

In her office in the government building of Area 24, the 88th Princess of Britannia, Marrybell mel Britannia followed the broadcast with an open mouth. It was one completely unbelievable piece of news after the other. By the time it ended with the new emperor declaring a new stance for the empire, she was completely dazed - which probably summed up how the rest of the world felt right about now.

She probably would have stayed in that shell shocked position had it not been for her childhood friend and knight of honor, Oldrin Zevon, snapping her back to reality. "Your Highness, are you alright?"

Shaking herself out of her stupor, Marrybell got up from the chair she'd been sitting in behind her desk and gave her old friend a shaky smile. "Oh yes Oz, I'm perfectly alright. After all, my half brother only just returned from the dead, announced he killed our father probably a month ago, and has taken the throne with next to no effort. Nothing strange there."

And then her words caught up to her...and Oldrin had to move quickly to catch her as she fainted.

* * *

 **Throne Room**

Lelouch now sat alone, having dismissed his small armour of aristocratic pawns shortly after the broadcast ended, save for his royal guard and C.C. who had been watching everything from the shadows and was now curled up in his lap, his left hand absently playing with her long hair.

The new emperor regarded his small detachment for a moment, it hadn't been easy to find these guys; after the Knights of the Round these were some of the most elite soldiers the empire had to offer. Tracking them down without drawing attention to himself had been quite the challenge, made even more difficult because they had been spread out all over the world.

However, his labours had borne fruit and now he had not only Jeremiah but an entire team of lethal killers at his command ready to die for him without a moment's pause. _Of course, unlike Jeremiah, they had to be 'persuaded' first._ He made a mental note to make sure they weren't in his Guard Captain's range should he need to use his Geass Canceller...that would just be awkward.

"Lelouch," his witch's voice cut him out of his contingency planning and he returned his focus to her. "Are you sure about doing this?"

It was an empty question, they both knew it. The path before him was the only one he could take if anything was to be achieved. Nevertheless, Lelouch also knew he had to say it so she knew just how serious about this he was.

"C.C," he whispered so only she could hear him "if I am to create the world I just described: a world of peace and unity - a gentle world that Nunnally wanted - then.." closing his eyes, he rested his brow against hers before completing his answer "this world must answer only to me."

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 **And we're here! Oh, my I did it, I started to write my third fanfic. if you are reading my others fanfics(I hope so) don't worry I'll let this story from time to time. Now let's speak abour story!**

 **1\. Lelouch is going to take over the world. There wouldn't be Zero Requiem because I always thought it was a stupid to plan. I mean how he death can united people? Maybe for some years, yes, but then again people will start another war. It's natural for us. But under his rule world will enter a new age, a Golden Age..well I want so.**

 **2\. This story will be linked to others Code Geass shows. I mean Akito and Oz of the reflection. But you already understand this. I will change them a little. For example, Leila remained in the army. And in the end, I plan to make a grand finale with all the characters together! That will be awesome!**

 **3\. I began to introduce to you my OC. Well Cinder from RWBY because I writing a crossover between them and because I want to see her as a new knight of the round. Oops, spoilers!**

 **4\. About pairings. I want LelouchXharem. Because All hail Lelouch, that's why.**


	2. Plans for the future

**Before you start I want to say my thanks to everyone! People liked quickly fanfic and I decide to focus on this fanfic.** **Your support really means a lot to me!** **And because my beta-reader of another fanfic is busy for personal reasons. So my first fanfic is frozen, for now, my second fanfic is stopped for some time. Soooo thanks that you read this! And sorry for errors! So Let's start!**

* * *

 _It was only ten days after assuming the throne that his Majesty, Emperor Lelouch, began making major reforms to the empire. The most notable was the dismantling of the Area system, transforming all former Areas into special zones. The population native to these zones received rights on par with that of their former masters, and could now serve in businesses or even the military with the chance of rising to Officer status. Emperor Lelouch also immediately disbanded all groups within the military with ideologies similar to that of the so-called 'Purebloods,' of which the captain of his royal guard, Jeremiah Gottwald, was once the leader._

 _"His Majesty was most forgiving." Sir Gottwald stated when interviewed on his master's unexpected generosity. "We who have stained the reputation of the empire's armed forces deserve nothing short of death. Yet His Majesty saw fit to give us all another chance by inducting us into his most prominent legions, who serve the emperor directly."_

 _Such generosity however was not shown to the former ruling class of the empire. Overnight the old aristocracy was almost completely dismantled, the nobility suffering the worst with many of their monopolies on trade goods being revoked and placed in the hands of corporations headed by rising businessmen. Even the royal family itself was not safe from Emperor Lelouch's changes: Prince Schneizal's title as second prince was revoked and, along with the former second princess Cornelia, was named one of the empire's most wanted criminals._

 _After news reached the people of the F.L.E.I.J.A. weapon that destroyed the Tokyo Settlement in the former Area 11, the Knights of the Round also joined this list, with Suzaku Kururugi the Knight of Seven getting special mention as the one who fired the weapon on his own homeland. The Britannian people were outraged and demanded justice._

 _That is not to say Emperor Lelouch's relationship with the royal family was entirely negative; beginning with First Prince Odysseus, the rest of the family supported his Majesty in his reforms to society. It was a sentiment that was felt throughout the empire, particularly in the lower rungs of society who, until this point in history, had no voice of their own._

 _Emperor Lelouch had become the hero and defender of the common folk, an attitude that eventually granted him the title 'White Emperor.'_

 **BBC history documentary special recounting the miraculous 'Ten Day Transformation.'**

* * *

 **May 29** **, 2018,** **Pendragon, Throne Room.**

If Lelouch was perfectly honest, these soldiers disgusted him. They were sycophants who had taken the former emperor's words of might makes right to heart and had trod on the rights of everyone they viewed as weaker than them. But that also made them the perfect disposable tools for his plans: the people hated them, therefore no one would miss them if he sent them to die, but he still looked good for trying to give them another chance like he had Jeremiah. And so here they stood before him, his newest legion, dressed in their new grey uniforms, white cloaks and black helmets. They knew who he was, he suspected some of them even despised him for the new path he was leading Britannia down.

But none of that would matter in a moment as he removed his contact lenses and stared into their eyes. "Lelouch vi Britannia commands you! Be my slaves!"

The red crane took flight from each of his eyes, and in an instant the entire legion stood straight. "YES, YOUR HIGHNESS!" They bellowed zealously, as one saluting him and slipping down their purple visors over their faces.

With that out of the way he immediately dismissed them, to which they feverishly obeyed leaving him with just his aide Alfred and two of his Scarlet Guard.

Feeling a little bit stiff, Lelouch stood from his throne and straightened out his now iconic ensemble. People didn't just call him 'White Emperor' for his deeds, he now wore a set of intricate white robes with golden lining, with a white shawl over them that bore a feathered wing motif branching out from a black and red eye. When he'd first modeled it though, all C.C. had done was giggle at him before conceding that it did live up to the _Holy_ part of the Holy Britannian Empire.

He still didn't know what she was talking about, but then Lelouch had long ago stopped trying to figure his demented companion out. Regardless, he still had work to do and thus returned his attention to matters of state. "Alfred, what else is scheduled for today?"

The man in question glanced at his tablet before answering. "Sir, Lord Jeremiah wishes report a successful reformation of the remaining nobles." Which meant he'd killed them all. Well at least that was something, with the last of the rebelling nobles now firmly stamped out all that was left were the ones under his Geass command...but damn if it wasn't tiring getting rid of the rest. He'd hardly slept this past week.

"Then an audience with Earl Lloyd Asplund and his assistant, Colonel Cecile Croomy." Ah yes, the engineers who designed and built the Lancelot, that had been a boon Lelouch honestly hadn't been expecting. Even better, he hadn't even needed his Geass to get them, Asplund just literally knocked on his door last week and said they would be working for him now. It was a gift horse whose mouth the emperor was in no hurry to look in and so he graciously, if a bit bemusedly, accepted Lloyd's 'offer.' Besides, he'd be needing new machines very soon.

"After that you have an audience with your sister, Marrybell mel Britannia." Little Marry - whilst they had spent little time together as children, Lelouch did have fond memories of the times they did see each other. It was strange to think she was in charge of a counter-rebellion division in the military now. _I wonder if that girl who always followed her around is still with her? What did Marry call her again? Oz?_

"And finally you have an audience with a former Knight of the Round who spent the last decade in Alcatraz." An unusual place to find one, but when he'd seen the name Lelouch knew this man would be loyal if nothing else because he was a political enemy of the former emperor. As it stood though he had no room to be picky. Whilst he had his Scarlet Guard, Lelouch was not about to risk his chances against the rest of the world - or even just Schneizal himself - without taking every precaution. So far he knew that the Knights of Two and Eleven were killed just before he took the throne, and his own legionaries had killed Five and Eight. That still left eight to be dealt with however, with Suzaku and Bismarck being the most concerning. If he was going to stand a chance, Lelouch needed Rounds level knights of his own.

Personally if he could have chosen he would've had...but no, as far as she knew, he'd used his Geass to _make_ her loyal to him. There was no hope there.

"Thinking deep thoughts, Lelouch?" His partner in crime purred at his side. C.C. had taken to her new position as the emperor's private advisor as seamlessly as all her past roles and was dressed the part perfectly. Her outfit was reminiscent of the black dress she'd worn with the Black Knights, although now it reached down longer, with matching eye-and-wing emblems to those on his shawl, and cut off at the shoulders, dipping down to reveal an ample amount of cleavage. On her head she wore a simple golden diadem that contrasted nicely with the white hat he now wore.

She'd also made a couple of public appearances, not enough to get any sort of information out of her but enough that the tabloids were asking who was this strange girl who was always in the emperor's company. The explanations of some reporters were...exotic to say the least. It didn't help matters that her seat in court was right beside Lelouch's own, rather than a respectful distance away from the emperor.

Glancing her way, Lelouch asked the inevitable, "Is there something you wanted, C.C.?"

"It's about the elevator." Now she had his undivided attention as Lelouch turned to face her, nodding for her to continue. There was only one elevator she could be talking about. "It seems your showdown with Charles changed it somehow."

Changed? That didn't sound good. "How exactly?" He asked anxiously. He'd wanted to use the Thought Elevators for his plans, Pendragon having one underneath its foundations would have been the perfect place to start too.

The news was as bad as he figured when C.C. told him. "It no longer teleports. But we can still use them."

"Oh?" He asked, not showing his anxiety. "How?"

"While it's true they have lost a considerable amount of power, my connection to C's World seems to have improved. I can feel the contract between us much more clearly than I used to. You should be able to feel it somewhat as well."

That...actually made sense. Ever since that night, Lelouch had thought he could feel C.C.'s presence but had merely put it down to her always being around. But if that was the case then that opened a whole new case of possibilities.

"That's not all." C.C. went on to say, "I think I can also feel others who have contracts around the world."

That piece of news really threw Lelouch for a loop, as well as increasing his worries. "You're sure of this?" He asked, this time unable to hide his concern. "I was certain we killed anyone who had Geass when we destroyed the Directorate." That was the last thing he needed, a surviving contractor of V.V.'s coming after him for revenge would throw his plans into chaos.

But C.C. shook her head at him, somewhat exasperated. "Not all those who have Geass are a part of that little troll's torture chamber. Remember Mao?" That one hurt. Of course he remembered the Chinese mind reader, how could he forget? Poor Shirley. But it also had to hurt for her to bring him up and so Lelouch remained respectfully quiet, waiting for her to continue.

"There still people who have Geass in the world," C.C finally went on "although I can't be sure how many. It might only be one and even then it's weak." She paused for a moment, a frown on her face as if she was trying to remember something important. "I think...I think it might be one of my old contractors."

"Just how many have you had?"

"My, is someone jealous?" She let out a small laugh at the sudden red flush that dominated the emperor's face, before going on more seriously. "There have been a few in the last fifty years, but to have even survived that long would be a miracle. And usually when I make a new contract the old one ends, though I still retain some awareness of their locations for a while. But this one is unknown to me. Give me some time though and I'm sure I can find them."

That was probably as good as it was going to get, so Lelouch just sighed and nodded. "Very well, once you've located them inform me and I'll send Jeremiah after them. I'm not taking the risk of someone else with Geass interfering with my plan. Speaking of whom, Alfred," he turned his attention back to his assistant who nodded at him, "call in Jeremiah, let's get today's business over with."

Alfred nodded once more and tapped a couple of times on his tablet whilst Lelouch returned to his throne, C.C taking her seat next to him which her Cheese-kun had been occupying. A minute later, his cyborg Guard Captain entered the throne room, bending the knee at the steps to the throne before his master.

"Hail, Your Majesty!" He greeted fervently, "Jeremiah Gottwald returns with glad tidings. The remains of the rebel nobility and those unwilling to seek your forgiveness have been successfully eliminated."

"Good news indeed, Sir Gottwald." Lelouch nodded, before letting out an annoyed sigh. "Though you'd think by now they'd realise their opposition is futile."

"When you try to take something from others, naturally they'll fight to keep it." C.C cautioned, hugging Cheese-kun a little tighter. "Opposition always rises in the face of change."

"Maybe so," Lelouch conceded, "but they had better understand now that they have no choice but to accept my rule." That minor matter out of the way he once again addressed Alfred. "Call in Earl Asplund and his assistant please." And again Alfred nodded.

A moment later, the 'Earl of Pudding,' as Rakshata liked to call him, and his assistant stood in his presence. The earl himself seemed rather uncomfortable in his formal suit, it looked like he was trying to squirm out of it every step he took, and the indigo haired Cecile Croomy seemed to think this was date night with that revealing blue dress. Once they reached the steps, Cecile immediately bent the knee to the emperor, however Lloyd just stood there smiling.

"Aha! Hello your Majesty!" The eccentric engineer greeted him, going so far as to wave, "Thank you so very much for taking time out of your busy schedule of turning the empire on its head to speak with us today!"

"Lloyd!" The female engineer hissed at his side, trying desperately to stay respectful to her emperor and hide the embarrassed flush that was heating up her cheeks.

For the emperor in question, however, he just quirked an eyebrow at the eccentric bespectacled scientist's complete lack of decorum which he was quickly learning was the man's standard mode of interaction. Well, at least C.C. seemed to like him. "Earl Asplund, I'll be perfectly blunt: You are a prodigy when it comes to developing weapons of war, and your assistant Cecile Croomy is as intelligent as she is beautiful."

His flattery got him exactly what he wanted as Cecile's already red face flushed an even darker shade. "I-it's our pleasure to serve you, Y-your Majesty." She stammered, not looking up for fear of completely humiliating herself somehow. Unfortunately, her shy temperance was having the side effect of reminding Lelouch of Shirley.

Fortunately, Lloyd also noticed her red shade and immediately turned on his assistant. "Aya aya, does my dear Cecile have a little crush on our new benefactor? Naughty, naughty."

"Lloyd!" She all but shrieked at him, finally breaking her staring match with the floor to glare at her boss, revealing her face had gone as red as the scarlet guard's robes. "We're in the presence of His Majesty! Please show some restraint!"

"Indeed Lloyd." Jeremiah spoke up dangerously, glaring at the engineer from his position on Lelouch's left. "You would be wise to practise caution when speaking to your emperor."

"Oh hello, Jeremiah!" Lloyd greeted just as carelessly as he had Lelouch, "How have you been? I think the last time we saw you was...oof!" He was cut off by Cecile nudging him in the ribs and nodding pointedly in the emperor's direction. While C.C. seemed to be holding back her amusement, and failing, Lelouch on the other hand was running short on patience, the look on his face saying 'You are this close to not working with me.' And miracle of miracles, Lloyd Asplund actually chose to back down for the time being, though his easy smile didn't let up for a moment. "Yes well, I'm sure we'll have time to talk. So, my assistant seducing emperor, how can I serve you?"

Despite his annoyance, Lelouch had to smile at the engineer's gall. There weren't that many people who could talk so cheerfully with a man who could ruin you if they overstepped their bounds. But that could wait for later, right now there was business to attend to. "Indeed, so returning to the subject of why I summoned you today. You worked for my brother Schneizal's Camelot division up to the F.L.E.I.J.A. incident one month ago in Japan, correct?"

The pair nodded, even Lloyd had his limits when it came to the mass destruction that warhead was capable of. They'd arrived in Pendragon with the _Avalon_ just after his coronation, which worked out quite well for all involved. But that wasn't what Lelouch was interested in. "I need to know. What does Schneizal have in his arsenal?"

For a moment, the engineers looked at each other, before Cecile answered. "Well besides the Knights of the Round and their machines, which Your Majesty is already aware of, the former Second Prince also has the blueprints of the Lancelot Albion."

That was news to Lelouch, he hadn't known anything about Suzaku having a new Lancelot model. "What exactly is this machine?" He asked, though he dreaded he already knew the answer.

Lloyd filled him in on this one. "Z-01Z Lancelot Albion, my finest work." He sighed miserably, "It was intended to be the first ever ninth generation Knightmare Frame, but setbacks in the form of a certain masked vigilante," he fixed the emperor with a knowing smirk, "kept me from ever getting around to it."

"We were able to test out some of the technology though when we captured the Black Knights' ace machine." Cecile added, the subject of engineering helping her get past her timidity for the time being. "It was intended to use the Energy Wing system to help it reach new heights and speeds that the previous Float systems simply weren't capable of. It would also be armed with a new 'Super V.A.R.I.S.' rifle as well as the standard MVS's, and for defence we'd improved the Blaze Luminous shielding for even greater protection." Here she sighed sadly, "Unfortunately, because it was intended for Suzaku's use he insisted on holding on to the designs himself."

"Which means Suzaku will have given the designs to Schneizal." Lelouch finished, frowning in annoyance and anxiety. He'd suspected Suzaku would return to the battlefield, but with the old Lancelot all but destroyed he'd figured his old friend would be flying a Vincent. But if what he was hearing was accurate then he'd be seeing the return of that cursed white machine only now it would be on par with Kallen's Guren S.E.I.T.E.N.

All the more reason why he was lucky that Lloyd and Cecile decided to switch sides. "In that case, I'll need the two of you to get to work immediately." It was almost funny to see Lloyd's morose face jump back up to sparkling delight. "I have three tasks that must be completed as soon as possible. First, you will design a personal machine for my guard and C.C. Second, Lloyd, you will be building me a new personal unit that can go toe to toe with the Knightmares used by the Knights of the Round. And third," he clicked his fingers and Alfred stepped forward, handing the two engineers a stack of papers, "you will make this a reality."

The pair regarded him curiously for a second before immediately going through the sketches and designs they'd been handed. The more they read, the more Cecile's astonishment rose and Lloyd's happy smile stretched.

" _Nemesis_ eh?" The latter spoke, before whooping for joy. "Cecile it's wonderful! It'll be my greatest creation yet!" And suddenly he went down on his knees, close to tears of joy, regarding Lelouch as if he was some kind of god of destruction made flesh. "My lord, thank you for this wondrous opportunity! I'll have it ready in one month!"

Behind him, Cecile sighed. This was going to be one hell of a hard month to get through. Still that was enough for Lelouch and he nodded his approval. "Very well, you'll receive funding, materials and labour immediately. I expect you to live up to your reputation, Earl Asplund. You may go."

But Lloyd was already skipping away, stripping out of his formal jacket, singing any number of happy tunes revolving around building giant murder machines. Poor Cecile hurriedly apologised, saluting Lelouch and then hurrying after her insane boss, accompanied by two of the Scarlet Guard.

 _Well...that happened._ Lelouch thought to himself, bemusedly. At his side, C.C. giggled at the display of their new heads of experimental military technology. "I like them." She told him happily, "Please try not to get them killed."

In response, he just sighed. Well, at the very least his work load was now a bit lighter...but now it was time for a family reunion.

* * *

To say Marrybell mel Britannia was anxious was an understatement, she was in the presence of the man who had killed her father. Never mind that he was also her brother, the fact that he had succeeded where thousands of assassins had failed put him on status near to godhood in the eyes of the people and more than a few of her own Glinda Knights.

And now here she stood before him, not seeing him on a screen, and Marry was not afraid to admit the sweet little boy she remembered had grown into quite the handsome young man. Beside him sat the green-haired woman that was sometimes seen in his presence; who was she exactly, his fiancee? Or was she already the new empress? Whatever the case, she would be sure to find out soon enough and so she stopped at the steps to the throne and bent the knee.

For a moment silence held between them. And then Lelouch stood from his throne and made his way down the steps. "Marry! It's been too long!" And too the surprise of everyone present, herself included, the emperor engulfed his sister in an affectionate hug.

She took a deep breath and tried to keep herself from blushing, before replying "It has bro- I mean Your Majesty."

At her use of formal titles, Lelouch sighed and pulled away so he could look her in the eye, giving her a warm smile. "Marry, do you see any cameras in here? Please call me by name. We are family after all."

"Are we?" Such an admission gave her the opening she'd been hoping for and she quickly latched on to it. "If we're family, then could you explain your reasons for killing our father?"

That got an immediate reaction from her brother as Lelouch's grip on her shoulders suddenly tightened and the warmth in his eyes suddenly snuffed out. It was rather terrifying to behold such a swift transformation from kindness to absolute loathing, and Marry was getting an up front view of it. "Marrybell." Even his voice had changed to a sharp, biting, tone, "That man was a despicable, unfeeling dictator, quite possibly the worst our empire has ever seen."

Well that wasn't anything she'd never heard before, and if Marry was honest she didn't exactly harbor a high opinion of her father either. But still she had always hoped that it was a result of his hard work making him distant. It wasn't exactly easy to run an empire after all, so he had to sacrifice his family life for the betterment of his country. To hear it voiced from a brother whom she'd always remembered being kind and considerate of everyone though...

But Lelouch was far from done as he continued. "I promise you Marrybell, if that man cared anything for Britannia, he would have placed more attention on the betterment of his subjects over his constant warmongering which has turned out nation into the image of evil for the rest of the world!"

"But he was still family..."

The hold on her shoulders suddenly turned painful as his fingers dug straight into her flesh and his harsh glare suddenly turned furious. "If he cared about his family, THEN WHY DID HE LEAVE ME AND NUNNALLY TO DIE IN JAPAN?!"

His demand echoed against the throne room's walls and in her head. Nunnally. Of course it always came back to Nunnally with him. And now that she was dead...of course he held their father responsible for what had happened to her. Marry herself had been horrified to learn what had happened to her, who knew what Lelouch was going through.

It seemed that Lelouch also seemed to realise he'd slipped up as he sighed and let go of her, "I'm sorry, Marry, I just-"

"It's alright Lelouch," she cut him off this time, not meeting his eyes either. "It's sometimes hard to remember you've had a rather bad relationship with him whilst the rest of us barely ever saw him. This is just all really recent for me, I guess I'm still adjusting."

An awkward silence held between them for a moment until Marry cleared her throat and moved them along to another topic she'd wanted to discuss with him. "On the topic of family, Schneizal and Cornelia. You've labelled them as enemies of the empire," she raised her head to look him in the eye, right at the moment his own gaze began to sharpen again. "Lelouch I'm counter-terrorism, I need to know these things if I'm going to do my job."

Lelouch regarded her firm stance for a moment longer before sighing and nodded. "Schneizal was the one who signed the go ahead for the development of the F.L.E.I.J.A. warhead. He turned a research project for alternative power sources into a weapon of mass destruction, I've seen the documents on this." This was nothing new to Marry, it was all over the news only a couple of days ago, but that wasn't what she was here for. There had to be more to it than that, which Lelouch now added. "Twenty five million people, Marry. Both Britannian and Japanese, civilian and soldier alike. I was there, I saw the weapon go off and wipe everything off the map."

"He did it, Marry. Schneizal has effectively made war obsolete...in the worst way possible." And now Marry could detect an undercurrent of fear in his tone. "But where does it stop? How many more cities will he destroy under the pretext of peace? How many millions will he kill to save billions? Can we really view people like that?"

And now the image was becoming clear to Marry for why Lelouch wanted Schneizal's head: he was absolutely terrified. Not for his own life, he would have revealed himself long ago if that was the case, but for what would happen if another F.L.E.I.J.A. was used. She hadn't heard the statistics yet, but to hear Lelouch tell them...it put the whole thing in perspective. How many were killed in the Tokyo Settlement who had nothing to do with the Black Knights? Was wholesale slaughter really the answer to ending war?

A further moment passed between the siblings...and then Marry stepped away from her emperor and went down on one knee before him. "Your Majesty, Princess Marrybell mel Britannia does swear her life and soul to the service of her empire, and her emperor."

Above her, Lelouch blinked. He had to know the significance of that vow because a moment later he was on his knees before her. "Marry...why?"

She just shook her head before raising it to smile at her brother. "I'm sorry for asking all these questions, but I had to know. I needed to know the kind boy I met so long ago was still here. And he is!" That was all the warning he got before she launched herself into Lelouch's arms, hugging him tightly. He was stunned for a moment before hesitantly returning the embrace. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, her voice cracking, "for what we've done to you, for Father, for Nunnally...I'm so sorry about everything."

"Easy now," Lelouch hushed, finally easing her grip on him somewhat before pulling themselves both up. "Any slights against me are in the past, none of which you are responsible for." She tried to argue that, as a member of the royal family it was her fault, but he quickly cut her off. "However, if you truly believe you owe me something, sister, I have need of competent commanders."

His offer surprised her, but not nearly as much as her own sudden eagerness to be right at his side. "What would your Majesty ask of me?" She asked promptly.

"Nothing, for the time being." Lelouch told her, "However, the time will come when I will have need of the Glinda Knights. Can I count on you, sister?"

And now for the first time since entering the throne room, it was Marry's turn to smile and she nodded with certainty. "Of course, brother. When you call for us, we shall be there."

Their time was coming to an end, she was aware. As a princess she understood that, Lelouch had other things that required his attention today that as emperor he simply couldn't ignore, however as a young woman who'd just found her brother again the last thing she wanted to do was let him out of her sight. Sighing at the inevitability of it, she extracted herself from her brother's grip and was about to take her leave when her gaze drifted back over to the green haired girl who had been silently watching them.

Her presence more than anything forced her final question. "Um, Lelouch, I was meaning to ask - who exactly is that?" She pointed at the girl in question. "She...she's not your fiancée, is she?"

"What?" He glanced back at the girl, then back to her. "No, not at all." (They both missed C.C. whispering to herself 'Not yet.' Though Jeremiah did catch it, and he couldn't help a small smirk.)

"Oh..." Curses, Marry could feel her cheeks heating up and she ducked her head. "That's good."

"Why's that?" The oblivious emperor asked.

"Noreasonohwouldyoulookatthetimegottago!" She fled the throne room almost as quickly as she spoke. Staying there any longer would have ensured she'd make a fool of herself. As it was, her face red as a tomato, Oz wasn't going to leave her alone for a second.

* * *

"Why is it," Lelouch asked C.C. as he watched his sister dash out of the throne room as if the hounds of hell were on her heels "that everyone thinks you're my mistress or something along those lines?"

The witch in question just smirked at him as he returned to his seat. "Because that's the truth. The only one denying it is you."

"Whatever." He muttered rolling his eyes at her. "Moving on, Alfred, send in the next one."

"Of course sir." Alfred nodded dutifully before announcing their latest guest. "Sir William Bishop, Former Knight of Two, recently released from Alcatraz."

Ah yes, the disgraced Knight of the Round. Lelouch couldn't help a smirk, this one already had a place on his board. The man himself entered on Alfred's announcement, he was a giant of a man, maybe the same height as Bismarck Waldstein, with violet hair that clearly hadn't been taken care of and silver eyes that spoke of a long life of hardship. As a security measure, two of the Scarlet Guard flanked him on either side in case this released prisoner tried something, though this was more Jeremiah's idea than his master's. Lelouch had a suspicion that the last thing this man was going to do was try to kill him.

A sentiment that was reinforced when, the moment William stood before him, the tall man dropped to his knees. "Your Majesty, I come to you in disgrace and beg your forgiveness!"

That...had not been what anyone expected. Lelouch sent C.C. a curious glance but she just shook her head, just as in the dark as he was. Deciding to play it by ear, the emperor spoke. "Raise your head, Sir Bishop." He commanded, waiting until William hesitantly looked at him before continuing. "Now, what is it you could have done that you desire my forgiveness? As I understand, it was the former emperor who imprisoned you. An enemy of Charles zi Britannia has nothing to fear from me."

If anything his words seemed to further sadden the man before him, he looked close to tears. "If your Majesty knew my crimes, you would not be so willing to overlook them." He insisted. "For you see, the reason I was imprisoned in Alcatraz was for my failure to protect you."

That peaked Lelouch's interest, "Go on."

"Majesty, as you know before your mother the right honorable Marianne became empress she was the Knight of Two. I was the one to replace her...yet I fell short of that grand title at every turn. How could I ever measure up to so admirable a woman?" Ah, now Lelouch could see where this was going and he turned to glance at Jeremiah. Another Marianne fanboy.

But William's story wasn't done yet. "When she was murdered and I learned too late that you had sought justice on her behalf only to be exiled, I confess my lord that I fell into despair. Yet that despair only turned to rage when I learned your father refused to look into the matter, it was all too obvious what had happened: Emperor Charles had murdered his own wife, the greatest woman I'd ever had the fortune to know!"

He was seething with rage, clearly the memory still strong enough to make him want blood. "I decided to stand against him then, even challenged Bismarck for his title as Knight of One. I was certain that it would be the fastest way to get close enough to the emperor to kill him. And yet..." The distraught knight's anger turned into sorrow and he dropped his gaze back to the floor. "I was defeated, my plot uncovered, and instead of mercifully killing me they left me to rot in that hell hole! For nearly ten years I was left with my memories of failure whilst that monster covered everything up...and then..." he pulled his gaze up, tears spilling down his cheeks and a smile on his face. "Who should return from the dead but you, my lord? The boy who I had failed now a man, taking vengeance into his own hands and succeeding where I failed."

"And so I beg of you again, you Majesty, please forgive me!" He dropped his head to the ground again, his tears falling from his cheeks and dripping onto the red carpet. "Or refuse forgiveness and simply kill me. Either way, I can now die without regrets."

That was quite the story, and not at all what Lelouch had anticipated when he'd ordered the release of Knight of Two who'd been branded a political enemy. However this opened a window for manipulation that he'd never considered. A few moments passed before he stood from his throne and drew the sword of the nearest Scarlet Guard. The entire audience tensed up as they observed him walk down the steps to stand right before William, the tip of the blade doubtless visible to the tall man's gaze.

For a moment, Lelouch remained silent, stiffly regarding the man before him and then he spoke. "Yes, Sir Bishop. You have indeed failed me." The sharp, silent gasp from the tall figure was enough to know he'd just shattered the man's heart. Well, he might as well get it over with then. Raising the borrowed sword, he rested the tip on his neck before raising it high. "Therefore you are sentenced to death..."

Beneath him, William let out a breath, prepared for his end. Good. Without hesitation the blade came down...and tapped him on one shoulder and then the other. "I dub thee Sir William Bishop, First Knight of the Round Table." His statement got exactly what he desired as the newly dubbed Knight of One's head shot up, eyes wide in lack of understanding. "In the end, Sir Bishop, the terms of your execution are up to me. You wish to die? Then do so in service to your emperor and the empire you swore to protect."

"Majesty...?" The tall man was completely blown away, instead of punishment the emperor had accorded him the highest honor.

However, Lelouch wasn't done yet as he fixed a hard stare on William refusing to let him look away. And thus the emperor began to recite the words of the knight's code.

"William Bishop. You are called unto service to me." Lelouch intoned, "Wilst thou swear absolute allegiance to me, your sovereign lord?"

Bishop was silent a moment longer before daring for a moment to break his emperor's gaze and take note of their audience. One in particular caught his gaze: the former guardsman of Empress Marianne that now serve her son with honor and pride. Both of them had failed their idol, redemption now could only be found in service to her offspring.

And thus, Sir William Bishop returned his gaze to his emperor and placed his hand on his heart "I swear."

"Wilst thou swear to raise thy sword in defence of the poor and outcast?"

"I swear."

"Wilst thou swear to lay down thy very life for the world and its future?"

"I swear."

"Then," once more, Lelouch tapped the tip of his sword on both of William's broad shoulders, "I, Emperor Lelouch vi Britannia, 99th Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire, do grant Sir William Bishop the rank and prestige of First Knight of The Round Table! By my will it is spoken, by my will it is done!" He took the sword in both his hands, holding it out in front of him. "Now rise, my Knight of One."

Shakily rising to his feet, William accepted the blade from his liege. "Your Majesty, I swear on my life, you will not regret this action!"

"See that I don't." Lelouch responded, before nodding over his shoulder at Jeremiah. "I have a mission for you that my Guard Captain will be joining you on, he will inform you on the details. I've already given orders for a new machine to be built for you as well. For now though, you may leave me."

The newly christened Knight of One bowed again, Jeremiah joining him on his left and doing the same, before both former disgraced knights left the hall, eager to prove their lord's faith in them. The moment they did and the doors were shut behind them, Lelouch slouched into his throne, heaving a deep sigh of utter exhaustion.

"Thank god that's over." He muttered to himself, before allowing a weak smile. "But at least that means today's work is finished now."

Sadly however, Alfred had to rain on his parade. "Not so, sir." He corrected, "Now that the court proceedings are completed, you have your mandatory Knightmare training. And after that, your self defence and martial arts class."

All that did was cause the young emperor to groan in annoyance, for once acting like the teenage boy he should have been. _I know there was a perfectly good reason for using my Geass on him to be the perfect aide...but for the life of me I can't remember what it was._

At his side, C.C. just giggled at his plight before leaning over to whisper in his ear. "Train now, my warlock." She purred enticingly. "And tonight, if you're still alive, I have my own brand of special education waiting for you."

* * *

 **Secret base in Brazil. May 29** **, 2018.**

Night had fallen over the current small condo that served as the housing for Schneizal, Cornelia and the other members of court who Lelouch had branded traitors. For the moment, Bismarck and Suzaku were on watch whilst the other former Knights of the Round got some sleep. As for the two former royals, along with Schneizal's loyal assistant Kanon, sleep was proving elusive. Not so much that Schneizal was feeling the strain but more for the reason that he couldn't shake the idea that Lelouch's actions represented the deep breath before the plunge.

For Cornelia however, there were other matters on her mind. "How is she?" She presently asked.

"Sleeping for the time being." Schneizal answered, sighing sadly to himself as he observed the television report: Lelouch had freed Sir William Bishop and dubbed him Knight of One. How transparent of him. And how troubling it was to their guest. "It's still hard for her."

"It was hard on all of us brother." His sister snapped, glaring in turns at him and the T.V. "He's using his Geass on everyone!" It wasn't hard to guess, there was no way all these reforms would be going through unless Lelouch was using underhanded tactics. How sad that he would use them to strive for an impossible ideal.

To Cornelia's left, an unexpected yet not unwelcome addition to their group spoke up. "While we know that, your Highness, it would be suicide to declare it in the press." Diethard Ried cautioned, "Aside from the fact that it sounds crazy, Emperor Lelouch has the support of the masses. Everything he does simply makes him more the ideal ruler. A smear campaign is unwise at this juncture."

"Then what we can do?!" She demanded.

" _Damocles_ " That one word uttered by Schneizal pulled all attention to him.

"Highness, are you sure that's wise?" Kanon asked him, his doubts clear on his face. "Our stocks are low, and our manpower and transportation is minimal at best. And after Earl Asplund and Colonel Croomy defected we no longer have the _Avalon_ either. Wouldn't it be a safer investment to build the Lancelot Albion?"

Ah yes, Sir Kururugi's olive branch. The designs for Britannia's first ever 9th Generation Knightmare. However... "Knightmares are an obsolete notion." Diethard voiced the second prince's thoughts on the matter. "Once the _Damocles_ is completed, the entire concept of armies as a form of service will be completely wiped out."

"Maybe so," Kanon allowed, though he couldn't help glaring at the turncoat in their midst, "but the building of _Damocles_ will take months, more than enough time for Lelouch to do irreparable damage to the world order."

The journalist shrugged. "We could always ask the Black knights for help. They have just as much reason to hate Lelouch as anyone here."

"We will _not_ scurry to _their_ side just because a task is hard!" Cornelia all but hissed, staring daggers at Diethard.

"Yes, we will not." Schneizal agreed, still as calm as ever. "Kanon, Mr Reid we will direct resources to the construction of _Damocles._ After that, we will wait."

That was most certainly not what his sister wanted to hear. "Wait for what?!" She demanded, "Every second we waste here is another second Lelouch has to utterly ruin Britannia!"

"Which means all the more support for our cause when we return with a weapon that can defeat him." He calmly explained to her, his eyes never once leaving the screen where it was repeating the story that Lelouch had ordered the destruction of Emperor Charles' statue in Saint Darwin's Street. "People have a tendency to back the underdog in any conflict because they hope to see miracles. And that is what we shall accomplish with _Damocles."_

"For now though, we will wait for his victory against the remaining European powers." Schneizal continued, his eyes finally dropping to the world map resting on the table before them all. "It's only a matter of time before they try to use this upheaval to their advantage."

* * *

 **Berlin.** **May 29** **, 2018.**

The Ten Day Transformation was also felt in Europia United...or at least what was left of it. The war between Britannia and the EU had gone terribly for the European powers. For starters they were unable to prevent Britannian forces from taking their African territories but that had just been the opening salvo. The worst possible nightmare for the member state of France was when their age old enemy invaded the EU's biggest problem state, the island nation of Great Britain; after centuries of exile, the British had returned home and they were quick to pay the French forces back for the Humiliation of Edinburgh.

It only got worse from there as Britain quickly became a staging ground for Britannian invasion fleets. Right now the coasts of France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Spain and Portugal were all in enemy hands; the EU was effectively landlocked. Matters weren't helped by the formation of the UFN, which immediately sucked up many of the eastern European nations.

Even more damaging was the public reaction to the war. Even now as the remaining politicians and generals debated over this new emperor, people were taking to the streets, starting riots, looting shops, and in the worst case scenario actually collaborating with Britannian forces. About the only good thing that had come out of all the warfare was Schneizal el Britannia and Suzaku Kururugi being labelled as traitors in the eyes of the new Britannian emperor. However it didn't help that many of the common folk actually liked the new emperor, his speeches definitely worked to his advantage, removing even more support for the war effort.

Which led up to the current discussion in the Berlin Reichstag where the furious former Minister of France declared once again. "I am telling you this is the time to attack!

"And we'll tell you again." The German Chancellor replied tiredly "That we will not support such a foolish act."

"What are you so afraid of?! He's a boy!" His words garnered a number of agreeing mutters around him. "Are we really supposed to believe that this child was able to kill Charles zi Britannia?!"

"Whether it's true or not is immaterial." The Spanish representative retorted. "Britannia is still better equipped than us, has a superior technological gap, and most importantly _they aren't attacking us right now!"_ His impassioned argument got a series of agreeing grunts on his side this time.

It was true as well, one of the first things Emperor Lelouch had done was order a ceasefire on all Britannian fronts which only helped his credibility in the eyes of the people. However, he hadn't given back any of the land Britannia had taken either.

"Maybe we consider an alliance with the UFN?" One spoke up.

"With those elevens? Never!"

"We must fight!"

"Yes, we must return our homes!"

"SILENCE!"The German Chancellor's loud bellow brought the discourse to an end. Once he was sure everyone had shut up, he let out a hard sigh."I understand that many of you are frustrated with our losses, but the facts remain. We have no plan, nor sufficient a technological edge to give us a chance against Britannia."

The dismal picture he painted left the gathered representatives in silence for a moment before a new voice spoke up. "Actually, I think I have a solution to our problem." All eyes turned to the newcomer, a gentleman in military uniform with greyish green hair and green eyes. "It would require that everyone cooperates of course, but I'm confident I can reclaim that which is ours."

"What you have in mind, General Smilas?" One of the representatives asked.

The general in question merely smiled, glancing around at the sea of eyes now focussed on him, on pair in particular that lit up unnaturally with red rings round the irises.

 **#**  
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 **And we're here! I have a lot of things to say but let's order:**

 **1\. Timeline. I decide that my story will start from May 29. Building of Damocles will take more time then in canon. Because I always thought that create something like this must take a lot of time, well more then just one mouth! And yes I believe that Lelouch can change entire empire in ten days. Because..come on it's Lelouch he can do it.**

 **2\. Harem. I wrote that here will be harem and here will be a harem. Just not so big how some of you wanted. I wanted small harem from 4 women: Kallen, C.C, Cinder(my OC from RWBY) and the last one is secret :). But I'm sure that no one paired them before. And yes 4 females it's already harem.**

 **3\. Lelouch used his Geass on purebloods to reduce losses and not kill them. Scarlet guard it's the same that have Emperor Palpatine from Start Wars. Find in google, if you want and look how they looking.**

 **4\. Schneizel doesn't want to unite with EU because they want his head.**

 **5\. Like I said in start I will focus on this fanfic.**

 **Next chapter I will finaly introduse my OC and some action!**

 **P.S there will not be crossover, just some characters from other anime.**


	3. White Queen

**Boston Military Academy. May 31 2018**

When it came to the training of elite knights in the art of Knightmare combat, there was no better academy in all the Holy Britannian Empire than the Boston Military Academy. In the last two decades, it had produced graduates that had since gone on into infamy. Just a few of name were Knights of the Round Gino Weinberg and Nonnette Enneagram, Princess Cornelia the 'Witch of Britannia' and, maybe the most significantly, Empress Marianne 'the Flash' herself. The academy building itself was huge, divided into four sections for specific use. First there was the dormitory, then the main building, followed by the arena in the centre and the hangar for personal or group training.

Today marked the end of the academic year, as such it was time for the traditional event that had been held every year since the academy's founding: The Day of Knights Tournament. Their training complete, students got to compete against each other in their Knightmare Frames to determine who was truly the strongest amongst them, an event that clearly reflected the former Emperor Charles zi Britannia's policy of survival of the fittest. Even though he had now passed on, however, Britannia had never been a nation that discarded tradition so easily.

The first round of the tournament was about to begin and, within the women's changing room, one of its combatants was readying herself for battle. Slender in figure with amber eyes an raven black hair, part of which fell over her left eye, she hardly appeared the kind of sort to be a fighter. Something she had made a point of disproving to her skeptical classmates during the first day of basic training. She had just finished changing into her crimson pilot uniform when a loud shout snapped up her attention.

"Come on Cinder! The fight will start in five minutes, hurry up!" The loud mouth was soon followed by a girl the same age as her with black skin and red eyes.

"Emerald." Cinder Fall replied to her 'friend' with a soft voice, "I told you I will be there before it starts."

"Yes, but everyone is already there!"

Cinder tried not to sigh before turning around to face her excited classmate, closing her locker behind her. "Fine, let's go."

Honestly, it wasn't that far a walk from the Arena.

* * *

When the academy had built the Arena, many had equated it to the ancient Roman Colosseum with a more modern design. It was oval in shape, and large enough to easily accommodate a thousand people and still have room for more. For the safety of the audience a protective dome had also been added so there was no concern for injury, duels could therefore be fought to their full potential allowing everyone to know who the stronger fighter really was as well as providing a spectacular show for the non-combatants.

And a show was exactly what the people wanted to see today. The Day of Knights was an open event to the public as well as the academy students, as such the Arena stands were completely filled, and not just with the ordinary citizens who were hoping to see a spectacle. Just a little glance in both directions told Cinder and Emerald that there were also many Knightmare pilots watching as well.

"Well, I'd better go take my _Amber_." Cinder said and made her way towards the hangar where her machine waited for her.

Once inside she immediately came face to face with a number of war machines; the tired old Glasgows that had been all but phased out of the military, the all round decent Sutherlands, and even the Gloucesters that specialised in one-on-one combat. They weren't the only Knightmares there though, a number of personal frames were also present, boasting hi-tech weapons and armour thicker than the average machine.

These were mostly owned by students who came from rich families, Cinder knew for a fact that she couldn't afford to buy something like this...anymore.

 _The world is in the middle of a war right now and they make us play games here!_ She could feel her hatred for the noble and rich snobs rising in her just as she stood there thinking about it. She had always hated their lifestyle, while she had climbed her way up from the bottom, they looked down from their castles on the poor whom they trod on.

But this was the only way Cinder had if she hoped to survive long enough to become really powerful.

Finally her gaze moved away from the personal Knightmares to land on a lonely Gloucester which sported the same crimson paint scheme as her pilot suit, just the way she liked it. Walking closer, her eyes caught the inscription engraved onto its right arm: 'Belongs to the Black Queen.'

 _The Black Queen,_ Cinder couldn't help but chuckle at the nickname she'd attained while being here at the academy. She had quickly become one of the most popular girls early on in training, if not the most. Any number of boys had tried to ask her out - going from polite invitations to prostrating themselves before her, declaring their undying love for her - but she'd turned all of them down flat. Not a single one of them had a hope of attaining her attention, let alone her affections.

The ideal man she had always thought of had to be at least a genius, one with whom she could debate philosophy if the mood struck her, as well as cool and fearless, a leader who knew no equal and bent before no one. Much like herself. Maybe that was a high self-opinion but that was what Cinder Fall wanted and so far, all she had been met with were disappointments.

Then again, it wasn't easy to search through knights to find a devil.

* * *

Somewhere in the Arena, a certain Emperor suddenly sneezed.

* * *

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" The voice of one of the commentators boomed out across the Arena "Today we bring you the Day of Knights Tournament of Boston Academy! Are you ready?!"

The massive applause and excited cheers from the audience told him they were.

"And it's a beautiful day for it too, wouldn't you say Oobleck?"

"Indeed Peter. Today sees the Arena full to record capacity." His colleague, a man with green hair and glasses replied, before muttering to himself "Despite Emperor Charles' death and the transfer of power to his son in the bloody way along with a complete change in modern society, everything's fine."

He muttered this all into his microphone however, causing many of his students to immediately introduce their faces to their palms.

Sensing the tone, Oobleck's fellow commentator Peter - a man with grey hair and moustache - quickly changed the subject "I think we can forget about politics today, let's just focus on what everyone wants to see here!" His enthusiastic words got the crowd going again, and they only got louder when he loudly declared, "Let's get this tournament going!"

"Now, before we start, let's quickly go over the rules." said Oobleck, his earlier faux pass forgotten. "The tournament roster is made up of the academies top six pilots. They are permitted to use any weapon they wish with the exception of guns. This is a brawl, not a bar!" His little joke got a few people laughing politely, while others just sighed at the terrible joke. "Of course they're not allowed to kill each other, their aim is to immobilise their opponent's machine. Also one round only lasts five minutes so they'll be going at each other right out of the gate! No dancing around this arena! The fights will be just today, and so enjoy it!"He finished rather weirdly, but the audience certainly didn't care as Oobleck's description was met with even more loud applause.

All this and more was observed by the empire's young ruler as he sat in his private room, treating himself to a bag of popcorn. He'd heard tales of these bouts from Marianne and Cornelia when he was little, and now he was about to witness them for himself. Lelouch was not ashamed to say he was feeling a little bit giddy.

"Your Majesty," Alfred spoke up, drawing his attention away from the screen on which he'd been watching the opening of the tournament, "it may be beneficial if you stepped up to the podium. If your subjects knew that you were here, I'm sure they would fight all the harder. Especially that young lady that you've taken an interest in."

"No Alfred," Lelouch answered, "I specifically want them not to know I'm here. That way they'll be completely focussed on the battle." Even as he said this his attention was returning to the screen, his eyes focussing on the two pilots...or more particularly one who had caught his eye. "Now then, let's see to what you can do, Lady Fall."

* * *

"And now, let's get onto the first match!" Peter shouted to the audience's delight, "And we're starting right at the top today, folks, with one of the best this academy has seen in a while! Dangerous and beautiful, a rosebush with all the thorns to go with it, a perfect winning record this whole year-!"

"And every year she's been here." Oobleck added on.

"Our black queen...Cinder Fall, piloting her Knightmare Frame, Amber!" On Peter's word, Cinder blazed onto the field in her customised machine, carrying two MVS's. When she appeared, the whole Arena exploded with applause, as far as they were concerned this young fighter was already on the way to becoming a knight.

"And her opponent." Peter continued. "Fastest of her class and heiress of one of the biggest sakuradite mining companies...Ladies and Gentlemen please welcome the Snow Angel herself, Weiss Schnee!"And again there was grandstand applause, though the heiress in question gave a hard glare at the commentators booth. But Peter either didn't see it or paid it no mind as he carried right on, "Piloting her Myrtenaster!"

Despite the fancy name, the Myrtenaster was just an ordinary Vincent that was colored in white. For a weapon however, Weiss had only brought one MVS that had been designed as a rapier - a perfect weapon for swift, one-one-one combat.

"Right then," Peter began "are you ready?!" Greens flashed on both sides signifying the pilots were set to go. "ARE YOU READY?!" This time it was the audience who gave their loud response. "Right then, let's go! Knights! Battle!"

His words had barely left his lips before both machines rushed each other.

The Amber's custom armour was quite a bit lighter than what was normally used on a Gloucester, meaning it could move quite a bit faster than the basic model. But the Myrtenaster wasn't without it's own benefits; whilst it hadn't been given any specific upgrades, Weiss's striking power was top of the class in terms of speed and accuracy. Additionally her rapier was light, giving her an extra speed advantage.

 _Know Weiss she would try to hit me with a series of fast strikes._ Cinder thought to herself. She was immediately proved right as Weiss let off a flurry of quick attacks aimed at the connections between her limbs. Because she knew it was coming though, Cinder was able to dodge them all easily, the Amber not taking a bit of damage. _Now, my turn!_

And now she went on the offensive, pushing the Amber forward and swinging both her swords at the Myrtenaster. Weiss's rapier was able to block some of the strikes, but it quickly became evident that a weapon for fencing was not the correct weapon to deflect two swords at once. As a result, Cinder scored a hit on the Myrtenaster's right shoulder. Weiss had the keen sense to retreat, but the Amber was already in pursuit.

 _Too late to run now, lady heiress!_ Cinder began to apply precise strikes to the arms and legs of the Myrtenaster, a savage glee taking her over as she inflicted more and more damage to Weiss's machine.

In a desperate bid, the Myrtenaster slowed down and tried to strike a final hit targeting the Amber's chest where the core luminous resided, if Weiss could land a successful hit there Cinder's machine would be completely immobilised. Unfortunately for Weiss though, it was destined to fail.

Cinder saw the attack coming long before Weiss made the move and avoided the blow by having the Amber jumping into the air. From there she immediately counterattacked, bringing her two swords down from above. With one swing the Myrtenaster's hands were cut off, driving Weiss to her knees.

Around her the crowd roared in delight though others bayed their displeasure at the fight being over so quickly. And then suddenly Cinder felt something come over her. All her life, Cinder Fall had believed in her feelings and also in destiny, and right now she had a strange sense that there was someone important watching over her, someone that she felt she had always been destined to meet. It was only for a moment, but that moment seemed to drag on for eternity...And then she was back in the Arena, Weiss Schnee's ruined machine at her mercy...and then Cinder had a truly wicked idea.

 _Well, they came for a show. Let's give them one._ Without giving herself a chance to rethink her actions, Cinder brought one of her swords to the Myrtenaster's head and, with one swift strike, decapitated the white Vincent. But that was far from the end of it, the head rolled on the arena floor for only a moment before the Amber's large foot landed on top of it, crushing it beneath an iron heel. And then Cinder herself came out of her cockpit, a victorious warrior standing over her vanquished foe. That same feeling struck her again, the sense that someone was watching, and instinctively she turned to face it, staring right down at the camera that had been recording and broadcasting that very short duel.

 _Do you see me, whoever you are? This is who I am. This is what I do. What will you do now?_

For a brief spell absolute silence reigned throughout the Arena, the crowd struck numb by Cinder's final act. "Oh my god..." Even Peter sounded shocked at the display he'd just played witness to...for all of five seconds. "THAT WAS INCREDIBLE!"

His yell set off the rest of the audience who roared their mad delight at the carnage.

"Absolutely brutal!" Peter carried on, "But a win's a win. Cinder takes the first victory of the Day of Knights Tournament!"

"Indeed Peter," Oobleck agreed, "but did you notice that they didn't use their slash harkens? What's that about?"

"Well everyone has their own strategy," his colleague replied, not really sounding all that interested, "but right now it's time for a short break, ten minutes before the next match! The others are going to have to step up their game if they want to survive the Black Queen!"

His pronouncement set off the crowd again as the Amber began to head back to the hangar, its pilot completely unconcerned with their praise. Cinder was just happy she got to kick that rich girl's ass.

* * *

She'd looked right at him. Such a brutal display of power and poise, and then _beheading_ her enemy! Oh Lelouch was getting tingles just replaying it in his mind. But those tingles had turned to chills when she'd exited her Knightmare and stared down the camera lens, stared into the eyes of the world...stared into _him._

"Majesty." Jeremiah's voice broke him out of his trance, much to his loyal captain's amusement. "You're thinking about something. To do with Lady Cinder, I gather?"

"Is it so obvious?" The emperor chuckled, shaking his head ruefully, "I just..don"t know. I thought I felt something."

His vague reply caused Jeremiah to frown, even now he was working. "Your Majesty, you've worked very hard. Please, just enjoy the show. You've earned a rest."

He was glad then when he saw that his emperor's eyes were already closing. But behind his eyelids Lelouch was far from resting, because now all he could see were her eyes looking back at him radiating a familiar emotion. It was something he'd felt everyday he looked upon Tokyo before he became Zero, something he'd endured every time he saw Nunnally in her wheel chair.

That familiar stabbing feeling was pain.

* * *

"Cinder, you were amazing!" Emerald cheered the moment she managed to corner her classmate in the changing room. "And the way you took off her head at the end was absolutely awesome!"

The Black Queen sighed before turning tired eyes on her, "Emerald, it was just the first round, I still have three other fights if I want to win today."

"Well yeah, but you already beat Schnee!" Emerald retorted, not at all phased by Cinder's attempt to calm her, "And now you just have to-"

"FALL!" Another girl's enraged yell cut off their conversation however, preceding the furious arrival of Weiss Schnee herself. She was the same as the other two, her white hair and icy blue eyes, along with her white pilot suit, being the basis of her moniker. Right now however she didn't look like much of an angel of anything with an ugly bandage wrapped around her head. That didn't stop her eyes from spitting fire as they focussed on the one responsible for her current state. "What the _hell_ do you think you were doing?!"

"I thought it was obvious." Cinder replied, smirking. "We fought. I won."

Her casual dismissal of Weiss's state however just made the Sakuradite heiress even angrier. "YOU-! YOU UTTER BITCH! You completely destroyed my Myrtenaster! And what the hell was with that...that Knightmare execution?!"

 _Oh for goodness sake,_ it was as if Weiss had expected not to take any damage in this tournament.

"Look," Cinder said bluntly, "you know that this tournament pits the very best pilots of the academy against each other right?" At Weiss's slow nod she continued. "Then you must have known that your machine could be damaged during a fight." At that it looked like Weiss wanted to say something but Cinder quickly cut her off, "And this tournament isn't just a test for us graduates, it's also a show for the common folk..." here she was unable to repress another smirk, "so I gave them one."

All the while Weiss's face had been getting redder and redder, it looked like she was about to burst by the time Cinder was done. However both were spared that when the PA system called out. "Cinder Fall, your next match begins in five minutes, please report to the Arena. Repeat, Cinder Fall to the Arena."

That was Cinder's break and she immediately took it, striding past Weiss, "Sorry Snow Angel, but I have a match to win." She was almost passed her when Weiss suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist. Clearly she wasn't done yet. But she would be when Cinder turned back, smiling at her. "Is there something you needed Miss Schnee?"

Her tone was polite, but everything else about her screamed just how ready she was to burn this bitch alive. Particularly in her eyes that were now burning into the heiress's own. On seeing that murderous intent, Weiss, fearing for her life, immediately let go.

Cinder just kept on smiling. "Good."

She departed the changing room, just in time to dodge of the way of a little red-haired girl who immediately charged into the room.

"WEISS!"

* * *

"Alright then, onto our next match!" Peter announced. "Please welcome back to the Arena Cinder Fall!" The crowd suitably went wild at the Black Queen's return, "And now, one of my best students. Self-entitled Queen of the Castle...Nora Valkyrie in her custom Glasgow frame, the Magnhild!"

His introduction gave way to a pink and white coloured Glasgow armed with a huge warhammer. Despite it being a somewhat obsolete machine, Nora had made excellent use of it throughout her time at the academy, what she lacked in speed she more than made up for in sheer destructive capability.

And Cinder was sure to feel that in the match itself as the Magnhild beat hard on the Amber with all the force the hammer had. Cinder was capable of blocking her opponent's attacks for the most part, but every deflection shook her machine to the core. Nora capitalised on her advantage and finally got a hit in under the Amber's guard sending the machine off to the side. It didn't go down, but the pilot had been suitably rattled.

Clenching her teeth, Cinder put the Amber in reverse as quickly as possible. Nora was quick to follow her, launching another swing that the Amber just managed to dodge in time. But that was all Cinder needed. As she was aware the Magnhild's strength lay in its hammer, but that strength was a two-edged sword as the sheer weight of its weapon meant it was incredibly slow. This made the Amber's speed advantage the perfect counter-weapon.

The tactic was a simple hit-and-run. Moving swiftly, Cinder brought the Amber around the back of the Magnhild and struck hard on its arm, not enough h to do damage, but it would certainly annoy Nora. And she was right as the huge hammer came whirling around to hit her, but Cinder was already out of reach again, coming back to the front and striking at the chest.

This went on for some time, until eventually Nora was forced to pull back. However, the Magnhild's speed weakness showed itself again and she wasn't anywhere near out of harm's way when Cinder decided to launch the Amber's slash harkens. Nora was able to block the first one with her Knightmare's free hand, but the second harken knocked the hammer out of her grasp.

Inside the Amber, Cinder felt an evil smirk come over her. Her opponent was completely defenceless now. It would be a simple matter to claim victory here and now...but that simply wouldn't do. Without any warning, she launched the Amber forwards jabbing its elbow right into the chest of the pretty looking Glasgow. The sheer force behind the attack sent her opponent falling backwards.

A moment later the Magnhild was lying on the ground, the Amber's foot grinding into its chest.

And once again, Cinder received the wild praise of the crowd.

* * *

"She is indeed an excellent pilot." Alfred commented once the break started.

"In this training facility perhaps," Jeremiah cautioned, his arms crossed "she hasn't experienced real battle yet."

"True," Alfred conceded. "But she is still very capable."

"Let's wait and see then." Their emperor spoke up, before glancing at his aide, "You put what I asked in her changing room?"

"Yes, your Majesty."Alfred nodded, trying hard not to blush.

"Good." Lelouch nodded, noting that the break was coming to an end. "Now then, my Queen, show me what you're really capable of."

* * *

Cinder was already back in the Amber, waiting in the hangar for Peter to announce her back into the Arena. This was the last round of the tournament and, naturally, she'd made it to the top two. All that she needed to do now was win this match to prove her superiority. However, even though she was more than ready to get started, her thoughts were distracted by something...odd.

When she'd returned to her locker in the changing room, she'd found quite the unusual gift waiting for her inside. A chess piece, a white queen to be exact, had been standing there as if it had been awaiting her return. It certainly wasn't hers, even though Cinder was more than a bit good at the game itself, and when she asked around no one else knew where it had come from either.

Even more unusual was her decision to take it with her when she returned to the Amber, the small chess piece flicking in between her fingers as she observed it. She couldn't truly explain her reason for doing so, something had just felt...right about it.

"Well it's the final bout, ladies and gents!" Peter's voice came out over the PA system, "And what a bout it's gonna be! For the final time today, please welcome to the Arena our Black Queen, Cinder Fall!" Hearing her cue, Cinder accelerated the Amber forwards into the Arena to the jubilant cries of the public. "And for as good a fighter we have here we need an equally dangerous opponent! And here she is!"

On the far side of the Arena another Gloucester model appeared sporting a red and gold colour scheme, in its right hand it held a javelin and in its left a shield that matched the knightmare's colour scheme. And for the first time today, Cinder felt a chill go down her spine. She'd known this was coming, but that didn't mean she wasn't anxious.

"Ladies and gentlemen please welcome the Invincible Girl!" Peter announced, "Champion of four National Tournaments, Pyrrha Nikos in her title claiming machine, Xiphos!"

For the first time today, Cinder thought the cheers and cries for her opponent outclassed what they'd shown her. Not a good sign. She didn't have time to ponder her chances though as Peter suddenly shouted into his microphone again. "Alright everyone, let's get the final match going! Knights! BATTLE!"

The Amber and the Xiphos charged right at each other as fast as their pilots could make them. They met dead centre in the middle of the oval arena, swords and spear clashing against each other. Cinder felt the impact but ignored the rattling it caused, she came here to win, and with a perfect win history she wasn't about to stop now. With that in mind she pulled away and immediately went on the attack with everything she had, directing the Amber's MVS's with deadly grace and accuracy.

However, her opponent wasn't some hotshot who thought she was big this time, Pyrrha proved her right to be champion four times over by effortlessly countering every one of Cinder's attacks. Sometimes she used her shield to block, others she redirected with her spear sending them harmlessly away from their intended target...and other times she simply dodged them altogether.

And now the Xiphos was on the attack with her javelin, jabbing forward at the Amber's torso. Cinder managed to deflect the assault but only barely, however that only left her open to Pyrrha's next move when she rammed the Amber with her knightmare's shield. The move caught Cinder so completely by surprise that her defences were momentarily lowered, which was all the time Pyrrha needed to get in a connecting blow with her spear on the Amber's torso.

 _Damn,_ Cinder cursed in her head, _this isn't good. I'm lucky the Core Luminous wasn't hit._

She didn't have time to come up with a new strategy, though, as the Xiphos continued its attack on her, forcing Cinder onto the defensive. Any time she tried to get back on the attack, Pyrrha shut her down with her spear and then moved to break her defence with the shield. If this dragged on it would go to the judges, and so far Cinder hadn't landed a single hit. _Come on! I've got to think of something!_

Fortune smiled on her at last (or maybe Pyrrha just got impatient) when the Xiphos's assault halted and Pyrrha instead launched her slash harkens. Seeing the opening, Cinder moved the Amber to successfully dodge them. _Yes!_ She now had a small window to retaliate before Pyrrha began her assault again and Cinder went for it. Her MVS's swung forward, aiming to take off the Xiphos's head...but at the last second the spear came up to block both blades and force them away from her. _No!_

Now Cinder was the one who was wide open and Pyrrha immediately pounced on it. Realising her situation, Cinder pulled the Amber into reverse just in time to avoid another assault. However, the Xiphos's spear scored another hit just before the Amber was out of it's range.

 _Dammit, dammit, dammit!_ Cinder was shouting over and over in her head. This was all going wrong! Nothing she did was working and now she was in full retreat, Pyrrha chasing right after her no doubt looking to deal further damage to her machine. _What the hell to I do now?_

Her answer came in the form of a voice over her radio. "When she launches her slash harkens don't run." It instructed, "Let them come at you. When they're in range cut them off with your swords."

"What? Who is this?" Cinder automatically demanded. "How'd you get my frequency?"

"That's not important." The voice replied, "If you want to win this fight, then follow my orders."

"Oh?" Despite her situation, Cinder raised an eyebrow at her unsought assistant, "And why should I? That's against the rules." In truth she didn't much care whether it was or not, if cheating meant she won that was fine by her. But why would this unknown voice help her win?

"Because," the voice told her, something of a laugh in his(?) tone, "sometimes you can't change the world without getting your hands dirty."

 _Change the world huh?_ And now she felt the beginnings of a smirk growing, _this guy sounds crazy enough to be genuine._ Her smirk was nearly wiped off her face though when the Xiphos suddenly appeared right in front of her. Cursing silently, she moved the Amber back out of range. _Well, in for a penny..._

"Fine," she relented at last "what do I do?"

"Like I said," the voice repeated, "don't run from her slash harkens. They're not aiming to hit you, but to keep you boxed in. If you destroy them however..."

He left the sentence hanging, but it was enough for her to grasp what he was getting at. "Understood."

"Good luck Q-2."

"Q-2?" An odd choice of codename, enough that it peaked her curiosity. "As in 'queen?' Wait, was it you who left that queen piece in my locker?"

Now there was definitely the undertones of a laugh in the voice as he replied, "Win the battle, and maybe I'll answer your questions."

 _Is that so?_ Cinder thought to herself, her own smirk still in place. _So this is a test, is it?_ Well if that was the case then this guy really didn't know who he was dealing with. If he did he'd know that she always passed her tests - written and practical. And now this battle was something she would simply win as well. It was just that simple.

Bringing her attention back to said battle, she was in time to see the Xiphos come at her again with its slash harkens. It took everything she had not to move the Amber away from the incoming volley, something she vaguely heard Peter and Oobleck comment on, but only now did she finally notice the harkens' trajectory. The voice had been right; they both sailed harmlessly past her.

 _A psychological attack._ Cinder couldn't help it, she was impressed. _Scare your opponent into thinking they'll be hit and they'll do anything you want. Very good Nikos, very good indeed._ But now it was Pyrrha's turn to be afraid. Now that the slash harkens were fired, their cables that attached them to the Xiphos were exposed and Cinder could finally use that weakness. Moving quickly before Pyrrha could work out what she was doing, Cinder swung the Amber's MVS's down on the cables. Finally the battlefield was open to her again.

Pyrrha must have known this too because now the Xiphos was rushing in, its spear poised to strike the Amber's core her harkens it really was the only method she had open to her, but that also worked in Cinder's favor. She quickly blocked the attack, this time only using one sword. It was a difficult effort considering all the force Pyrrha was putting into this attack but for Cinder's plan to work she had to have an arm free.

 _Now to return the favor._ Before Pyrrha could ram her with her shield, Cinder launched her machine's right slash harken right into the Xiphos's left arm which knocked the shield out of its hand. But Cinder had no time to celebrate as Pyrrha quickly changed tactics, the Xiphos now launching a punch at the Amber forcing her to disengage and back up. _Damn, she just doesn't give up, does she?_ Still, considering the state of the Xiphos - no slash harkens and now no shield - this was the best chance she was ever going to get to take Pyrrha down.

With that in mind Cinder quickly went back on the attack, not giving her opponent time to regroup. But Pyrrha was nothing if not adaptable and she let out a volley of quick punches to try and keep Cinder off balance. But she had now lost her advantage, and besides Cinder was no longer set on thinking tactically; she only knew two things: 1 - she had to win, and 2 - Pyrrha was stopping her from doing that...which was unacceptable.

The Amber rushed forwards, barely missing the Xiphos's spear as it tried to take her out, and then Cinder brought up both her machine's deadly swords and swept down...right through the Xiphos's right arm. Her opponent could still stand however and Cinder immediately brought one of her swords to the Xiphos's 'neck.' With no weapons left and now only one working hand, it looked like it was all over...however, Pyrrha Nikos wasn't one to be taken lightly and so Cinder kept the Amber's weapons ready in case she tried anything.

At last though, the Xiphos's cockpit hatch opened and a red haired young woman with green eyes stepped out, waving her hands in the sign of surrender. It was over.

Once again silence reigned...and once again it was only a short while before the crowd screamed their praise for them both.

Peter in particular sounded insanely happy "WHAT A MATCH!" He bellowed into his microphone, "Cinder's done it! She has beaten the unbeatable! We have our champion, ladies and gentlemen. The winner of the Day of Knights tournament is our Black Queen, Cinder Fall!"

Once again the crowd went wild as Cinder herself came out of the Amber and looked out at the mass praise.

"And now the tournament's over." Oobleck carried on roughly, "So go home."

"Oy." Peter sighed.

Despite the commentators' words, the crowd showed no sign of going anywhere, their cries for joy and awe continuing on for some time. Meanwhile, Cinder remained standing in the Arena, her mind not really present at the moment. Of course she was glad she had won, it was what she'd worked towards all this time. But right now she had a question on her mind: who was that on the radio? Who was it that had risked her expulsion from the tournament to ensure that she won?

* * *

"Jeremiah."

The loyal cyborg turned to his master, whose eyes were once again focussed on the screen "Yes your Majesty?"

"Call her here." Lelouch instructed. "I'd like to speak with Lady Fall."

Jeremiah nodded and signaled to the guards, one of which nodded and headed off to collect the lady in question. Lelouch however never let his gaze leave the image of the young woman, a smirk rising up on his face.

"Well, you aren't Kallen," he admitted, ignoring the hurt just thinking of her brought him, before his smirk became a truly devilish grin. "But I suppose you'll suffice for my plans."

* * *

Cinder had returned to the changing room and was now doing away with her pilot suit. She had no answer to her earlier question but that wasn't going to stop her from looking into it. But not today, she was exhausted after that last match. Once she'd had a chance to rest then she would start looking for her nameless benefactor.

Chances of rest were put on hold however when the changing room door opened admitting one of her teachers, a blonde professor who had her hair tied up in a strict bun and green eyes that were layered over by glasses. She took a moment to correct them before greeting her student. "Miss Fall."

"Yes, Professor Goodwitch?"Cinder asked politely, doing her best not to show how tired she really was."How can I help you?"

"The headmaster Ozpin wants to speak with you."Goodwitch simply told her.

"I see." This wasn't unexpected, Cinder had just won the tournament so it was natural that the headmaster would want a word with her. Recognising that she wouldn't be getting any sleep soon, she quickly finished getting changed and then, in Goodwitch's company, made her way to the academy's main building.

The building itself was a massive tower that overlooked the whole academy, with the Headmaster's office right at the top. It was at this room that Cinder and her professor were met by two soldiers in scarlet robes who flanked a third man; dressed in all black save for the dark green scarf around his neck, tousled grey hair and wearing black shaded spectacles in front of sharp yellow eyes, there was no mistaking Boston Military Academy's Headmaster Ozpin.

Upon seeing them, the man gave Cinder a quirky grin and stepped aside. "Miss Fall! Right on time! Please, take the elevator. A _very_ special someone is waiting to meet you."

The only outward showing of Cinder's confusion was a slightly raised eyebrow before nodding and making her way to Ozpin's private elevator that the soldiers obediently gave her access to. She made the trip up alone, giving her time to think over this strange predicament. She had assumed that Ozpin wanted to congratulate her success, only now to find that the headmaster had been little more than a messenger boy, so whoever it was that really wanted to see her wanted to keep this private if even Goodwitch didn't know what was going on.

 _There aren't that many people who could arrange a meeting like this..._ Someone who even Ozpin viewed as 'special' wasn't one to be dismissed lightly. That sort of thought should have worried her...and yet, Cinder couldn't help but feel excited. Once again she was feeling that unexplainable rightness of a situation that she'd felt in the Arena right before she cut the head off Weiss's knightmare. Something important was about to happen, and her life would be forever changed by it.

At last the elevator came to a halt and Cinder exited into the headmaster's office. It was a rather unusual room, typically large and spacious like most Britannian offices but for some strange reason the ceiling represented a clock face and the far wall directly behind the headmaster's desk was completely made of glass. Not exactly the most secure of places, considering how many people had tried to kill Ozpin over the years just so they could take his place as headmaster. But he'd survived this long so maybe there was another reason for it.

Whatever Cinder thought about the room, her attention was soon caught by something that was resting on the desk itself: a chess board, with all its pieces in their beginning positions save for one. The white queen was missing from the board and unless this was some very strange coincidence, Cinder knew exactly where it had gotten to.

Then and there she realised exactly what was expected of her to pass this test. She retrieved the queen from where it had been resting in her pocket and placed it on the board beside the white king, right where it was supposed to be.

"Impressive." A somewhat familiar voice behind her stated, causing Cinder to immediately spin round out of shock. And then her eyes went wide when they came face to face with the intrigued expression of Emperor Lelouch himself. "You worked out my task rather quickly."

"Your Majesty!" Cinder immediately bent the knee to him, "It's my honor to meet you." It really was, this was the man who killed the former emperor whom she reviled. If not for him and his reforms she likely wouldn't be anywhere near as strong as she was today. "How may I serve you?"

The emperor regarded her for a moment before walking passed her and around the headmaster's desk, seating himself in the waiting chair. "I was wondering if you would humor me by playing a game of chess, Miss Cinder Fall."

Chess? Quite the long way round to get someone to play a simple board game with him. But such intricate detail only served to intrigue Cinder further as she rose from her kneeling position and turned to face him. What was he playing at?

The best she could guess was that this was another test...and besides, she was quite good at the game. In all her time at the academy she'd never lost a game, it would be quite something if she could add the emperor himself as a beaten opponent. And just like that Cinder felt her fatigue wash away, replaced by determination to meet this latest test.

"It would be my pleasure, you Majesty." Cinder replied politely, sitting herself down in the visitor's chair facing Lelouch.

The emperor himself smiled lightly, "Wonderful. Now, which do you prefer?"

That gave her a moment of pause as she regarded the situation, both her opponent and the board itself. Much like what he was wearing now, many had taken to calling Emperor Lelouch the 'White Emperor' in terms of both his clothing choices and his policies...so why not play black and challenge white's supremacy?

Feeling a small grin beginning, Cinder said "If you'll allow me, I'll be black."

For his part, Lelouch slowly nodded before letting out a small chuckle "You know something, Miss Fall? This is the first time ever playing white."

His admission caught her attention. _Never played white? Then does that mean he's almost never played chess in his life?_ It took all of her willpower not to let out a disappointed sigh. _And here I was thinking I'd have a challenge today..._

About half an hour later she found herself eating her words as Lelouch quickly proved himself a masterfully skilled player of the game. So good in fact that, while neither player had lost or taken another's piece, it was very clear to Cinder that her opponent was in full control of what was happening in the match, possibly thinking several steps ahead of his current move. If she wasn't as good as she was, Cinder would have fallen for several of the traps he'd set up for her...and even then it was only at the last minute.

If she needed any further proof that this was the same man as the one on the radio, it was fair to say she had it now...which begged the question: "Majesty, may I ask you something?"

"If it's in regards to my intervention during the tournament, don't worry about it." Lelouch told her without looking up from the board. "I saw something that interested me, that's all there really is to it."

"Interesting? Me?" Understandably she was rather surprised; what could possibly interest the Emperor of Britannia in a barely graduated academy student? More out of habit than mistrust, Cinder slapped on a fake smile. "But I'm just a normal girl who was lucky enough to win."

Her evasion was for naught though as Lelouch took his eyes off the game for the first time since they started, "Please, Lady Fall, do you really believe in such a thing?" He asked, before moving one of his pawns to threaten her rook. "Because I don't. All my life has been a constant fight for survival...but then," the little smile he'd been wearing now shifted into a smirk which sent a chill up Cinder's spine, "I could say the same of you."

"What do you mean by that?" She asked him, trying her best to hold her smile without letting out the tremor that was growing in her tone. "I mean yes, it was hard work to be the best, but I was still able to achieve it. I'm even talking to my country's emperor. What could that be other than luck?"

He couldn't know...could he?

"For Cinder Fall, maybe." Lelouch agreed, his gaze turning sharp for a moment before continuing, "But for Cinder Blackwood, life has been a living hell."

This time she wasn't able to hide her reaction, her eyes going wide at the utterance of _that name,_ her heartbeat shot up for a moment and Cinder did everything in her power not to jump out of her chair. But the emperor didn't budge at all, as if he'd been expecting this exact reaction.

Taking a deep breath, Cinder calmed her heart back down, her smile dropping away at last. "Let me guess: OSI?" His short nod was all the answer she needed and she let out a defeated sigh. "So I was hiding all this time for nothing then."

Her admission at last got a reaction out of the emperor as he raised an eyebrow out of curiosity. "And why would you say that?"

For a moment she considered not saying a thing, but then common sense reminded Cinder that this was the Emperor she was dealing with. If she didn't tell him, he would just go to OSI and get it from them. She might as well come out and say it now and save them both time.

"I failed the last wish of my mother." She began slowly, "She...she told me to hide, change my identity, my name, heck even my looks if I had to." The more she said, the more she remembered. The day it happened, the things she'd seen, and it was a hard struggle not to clutch her head in her hands. "All so they wouldn't look for me, so they couldn't hunt me down and..."

"Because?" Lelouch prodded, clearly wanting her to say it.

"My mother, Salem Blackwood. When I was still a child, she was accused of the murder of Olivia Zevon and was killed by a bunch of mad nobles." She scowled at the memory of what came later. "But even when they did find the real killer, no one cared about my mother, how she'd been accused and destroyed. Not one single empty apology. It was as if the whole thing never happened." Her angered tone turned into a snarl as she went on, "They just went back to their nice little game of thrones, bleating at their emperor's feet for whatever scraps he'd throw their way. They're disgusting!"

She was surprised by her own emotional response, it wasn't something she usually indulged in. But Lelouch just regarded her silently, letting her get it all out, before responding.

"I'm no stranger to loss. As you might know my mother was also murdered and my claim to the throne revoked." Yes, Cinder had been aware of that. Some of the more conservative groups loved to point it out any chance they got in newspapers and TV interviews, to say nothing of the internet. Technically, Emperor Lelouch was a usurper who'd challenged Emperor Charles when he was just a boy and was exiled for his trouble. However, instead of turning people against him, his story only added to his fame especially among the younger generations.

"Unlike you, however, I didn't simply give up and hide from my problems." Lelouch continued on, his voice suddenly taking on a sharp steely edge. "And that's why I don't believe in luck, or destiny or whatever you wish to call it. If I did, then it should have been my destiny to die in Japan when Britannia invaded. Instead I challenged destiny and the world that believes in it, time and time again leading me back to my homeland with vengeance in hand and the royal crown on my head." His expression was fixed in a determined glare, hold Cinder spellbound as he spoke. "Though my greatest strike against destiny was last year, on the day I killed my brother, Clovis."

For someone as clever as Cinder, it wasn't difficult to put together what he was talking about from that single sentence alone though she found it hard to accept. Everyone knew of Prince Clovis's end in Area 11 last year - not that she was shedding any tears over it of course - but it was what came with him that kept Cinder and many others captive afterwards that was shaking her to the core. Suddenly she found herself shaking, because if she was correct, the emperor had just admitted to being Britannia's greatest enemy since Napoleon Bonaparte himself.

"You're...you're really...?" She couldn't finish the sentence, it was just too unbelievable.

Lelouch however just nodded. "Yes, Miss Cinder. I am Zero." Then he frowned a moment before saying, "Or rather, I was."

Hearing him admit it did little to lower the shock of what she was hearing. In the end, all Cinder could utter was a simple "Why?"

Her question was enough to sharpen his focus again however as whatever thoughts were on Lelouch's mind suddenly vanished and his full attention returned to her. "Because I wanted it." He answered truthfully, "And because someone had to do it. It just so happened to be me. But enough about me, there's something I would like to ask you."

Before Cinder knew what was going on, Lelouch had placed his fingers over his eyes and plucked out a pair of contact lenses. She didn't have time to wonder about that though as she was soon entranced by the words. "Lelouch vi Britannia commands you!"

* * *

"Answer all my questions!" Lelouch commanded with his Geass.

A second passed, and then the red circles appeared around Cinder's irises. "What does your Majesty wish to know?" She asked him, devoid of all emotion.

Smiling at the successful use, he didn't waste time asking her his questions. "What is it you want in life?"

"To be strong." She answered, "I want to be powerful. So powerful that the nobles who murdered my mother and then forgot about her will tremble in fear when they hear my name."

A rather basic answer, but one that he could easily use. Now onto the second question. "What are you prepared to do to achieve what you desire?" Lelouch asked her, though he suspected he already knew the answer.

"Everything."

Perfect, just the kind of person he could use. Satisfied with her answers, Lelouch broke eye contact, ending his Geass's power over Cinder. For a moment she just stared directly ahead, but then she blinked and the red rings vanished. "Did I say something?" She asked him.

"Yes, actually you told me something interesting." He replied whilst replacing his lenses. "Jeremiah, would you refresh our guest's memory please?"

His loyal knight, who had remained hidden throughout their game and subsequent conversation didn't hesitate to carry out his master's wishes. The eye around his orange face mask opened, activating his Geass Cancellor and once again leaving Cinder dazed for a couple of seconds.

Then her eyes widened as the missing memories returned to her and she stared at him in astonishment. "My apologies, Miss Cinder, but I had to be sure of your motivations."

"What was that?" He could clearly hear the fear in her question...and yet interestingly there was also curiosity in her tone. Intriguing.

Still she had asked, and Lelouch would answer, "That was my power; Geass. The Power of the King. In me it takes the form of absolute obedience."

"Geass? Absolute obedience?" Impressive, rather than running for the hills Cinder only sounded all the more interested. Then a moment passed and she frowned at him. "Wait. Why have you told me about all of this. You've admitted to being Zero, as well as helping me cheat my way to victory, and now you show me this secret power of yours. If the people found out about this..."

But Lelouch just snorted, "Do you really think anyone would believe such a far fetched tale?" He asked her point blank, and he could see immediately that she agreed with him on that. "Besides I doubt you'd tell anyone anyway..." and now his smile turned perfectly evil, "not when I'm offering you to join me."

"And why would I do that?" She asked back, though her desire was clearly there. Well then, time to sell it to her.

"Because in my services I can give you what you've always craved: Power! Enough power to send every high born noble scurrying from the mere sight of you." Oh she was definitely interested, now for the true selling point. "And if that's not enough, I offer you the chance to use your power to take vengeance against them all. Think of it: all those who ignored your pain, those who abandoned you - as they abandoned me - brought to your heel."

He knew the moment he had her only a second before she did. That very second later, Cinder Fall stood from her chair and once again went down on her knees, uttering the words he'd sought to get from her. "Your Majesty! I am yours to command. Use me as you see fit."

Lelouch stared down at her for a moment before rising from the headmaster's chair and walking back around the desk to stand before her. "Then rise, my vengeful Q-2. There are many things that we must discuss."

Off to the side, Jeremiah Gottwald watched in silence. Yet as Cinder stood back up, bearing an almost identical devil's grin on her face to that of his master's, the cyborg could help the feeling that something truly terrible was about to descend upon the world.

Because now the White Emperor had a White Queen.

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 **And we're here!**

 **1-It's not crossover. I just used characters from RWBY in this chapter. They wouldn't be In the future. Fans of Rwby must recognize which characters I used. You can find their in a google if you want.**

 **2-Abour LelouchxCinder. Lelouch my favorite anime character. Cinder one of my favorites characters. And I always thought that they pretty similar. Both of them wanted power. Both of them have it. Both of them wanted destroy the world and did it. So pairing them it's like pairing two evil genius and it might be cool.**

 **3-Now Cinder Q-2 and Kallen still Q-1. You already guessed that thier meting will be epic!**

 **4-I actually looking for beta-reader. So if someone of you guys have an experience and wants to help with fanfic I would be glad.**

 **5-Cinder would be slightly OC.**

 **6-Hope you liked by battles.**

 **For now this all! Thanks for reading and sorry for gramatical errors!**


	4. The situation in the world

**Before you start I wanted to say that I found beta-reader(or co-author). So previous chapters were changed.**

 **June** **1, 2018: Special Administrated Zone of Japan,** **Tokyo Crater,** ** _Ikaruga_ bridge.**

Kallen had been staring out the window for the last hour now, staring at the gaping crater that had once been the Tokyo Settlement. It was filling with water now thanks to the heavy downpour that was still coming down even now. It was a dismal sight, which summed up her own feelings about everything she and her friends had done in the last month or so. Right now involved one of those very actions, the entire command staff of the Order of the Black Knights, including General Commander Li Xingke, had gathered on the bridge, awaiting the return of Kaguya Sumeragi from her talks with the Britannian ambassador.

In the aftermath of the Second Battle of the Tokyo Settlement things had been all over the place, so much so that the free Japan Oghi had ensured everyone Prince Schneizal had promised them all had been put on the back burner. First that flash rebellion of the emperor's personal guard (Kallen had a sneaking suspicion how that got started), the Schneizal disappeared taking Diethard with him, not to mention the huge damage done to the Settlement itself after the F.L.E.I.J.A. was used.

And then the real blow came when, only two weeks ago, Lelouch reappeared on the scene but now as the emperor of the nation he'd created the Black Knights to fight! Amidst all that confusion, it was a miracle that anyone had found time to think about Schneizal's promise. And now with him declared a traitor, that promise was starting to look like a far off dream.

 _In which case, we betrayed Lelouch for nothing._ She thought to herself spitefully, glaring at her own reflection. Why the hell didn't she do something?!

"Ah! Why the hell're we even talking to them?!" Tamaki, ever the eloquent gentleman, barked at last, "I mean, Japan's ours now. Schneizal said so!"

"Relax, Tamaki." Oghi tried to calm him, his new girlfriend Viletta - whom Kallen had disliked from the moment she found out about them - coming up behind him. "We just have to wait. We gave them Lelouch, this is just a formality now. I'm sure of it."

 _Yeah, we gave Schneizal the man who gave the Black Knights a fighting chance on the pretext of pretty words._ Kallen so desperately wanted to snipe at her old friend, however it would break her policy of not talking to him ever again that she currently had going on.

However it appeared that her opinion was in the minority as everyone else nodded at Oghi's words, each of them assured that what they'd done would give them what they wanted. So it was a sea of expectant faces that greeted Kaguya when she finally stepped on to the bridge, all of them waiting to hear the good news. Kallen however saw the tired look in her eyes, as well as the ashen faced stare and guessed the answer that was coming before she said it.

"So?" General Tohdoh prompted.

Lady Sumeragi closed her eyes for a moment which she let drag on for a few seconds and then finally spoke. "Japan...is still a Britannian territory."

The lightning strike outside could not have been better timed to capture the horrified and betrayed looks on each and every one of the command staff's faces. All save for Li Xingke whose sovereign nation was still well and truly safe under the banner of the UFN.

"HOW?!" Nagisa Chiba demanded angrily. "We had a deal! We give them Zero, they give us Japan!"

From her spot, Kallen snorted at the brunette bitch. She'd wanted to get rid of Lelouch almost from the very moment the Four Holy Swords had become part of the Black Knights, she didn't even notice the slip into calling him that name that no one present dared to call him anymore.

"How dare they?!" Oghi shouted furiously, "Prince Schneizal promised us!"

"I brought up everything you're all probably thinking to the ambassador." Kaguya told them, still sounding as tired as she looked. "But then you never actually gave them Lelouch, did you now General Secretary?" Her pointed look caused him, as well as the other conspirators, to wince and look away, though Chiba just continued to fume. "And as for Prince Schneizal, well their response was two-fold: First, as he's been declared a traitor, any and all dealings with Schneizal el Britannia have been declared suspect. Second, it's doubtful he ever had the power to grant our wish in the first place."

"WHAT?!"

The young politician just nodded, disappointment in the situation radiant on her still childish features. "The only one who could have declared an Area independent, I'm told, is the emperor." Absolute silence reigned as that fact sank in for everyone. "And we all know who that is now, don't we?"

 _Oh god...kami-sama..._ Kallen almost felt like laughing. But not a happy laugh, not an 'I told you so, look how stupid you've all been' laugh. No, it was something more akin to the one she'd heard Lelouch let out when they'd first discovered Suzaku - someone they both considered a friend at the time - was the pilot of the Lancelot. Laughing because she had to, because of the insanity of the situation...because if she didn't laugh she'd burst into tears at the realisation of what she'd helped these bastards do.

But in the end she did nothing and just bottled it all up, much like she'd been doing of everything else lately. The last thing anyone needed was an unstable ace.

"That bastard!" Chiba snarled, "This is him messing with us isn't it?! He makes all the Areas 'Special Zones' and everyone jumps into his lap!"

"But hey, hang on!" Tamaki spoke up, confused as ever. "That's good isn't it? Everyone's Japanese again now, right? We've gotten what we wanted!"

"No. We haven't." Todoh stated. "All that's happened is they changed the name of our prison. We're still under the power of Britannia, they're just going about it in a far more foul way than they were before."

"Lelouch, that bastard." Oghi muttered angrily, "He's made a mockery of our hopes and dreams again!"

None of them noticed the glare Kallen sent their ways. The fact of the matter was this was the end result of them being played by Schneizal, not Lelouch, and if the victim of their own stupidity now saw fit to chain them down far be it for her to stop him. As far as she saw it, this was nothing more than they deserved; at least he wasn't imposing any sorts of segregation on the Japanese.

"Silence!" The fierce voice of Li Xingke brought all the bickering and finger pointing to an end, and all attention fell to him. "I understand this response isn't what you hoped for, but Lady Kaguya has yet to finish her report." He fixed them all with a sharp glare that refused to tolerate anymore outbursts, "So please, calm yourselves and listen to what she has to say." While no one appeared pleased with his words, no one spoke up to question them either, so he turned his attention back to their UFN representative. "Please continue."

Kaguya forced herself to smile at his attempts to ease her situation, appreciating he attempt he was making despite this really not being his problem. Taking a breath she returned her attention to the command staff. "Japan is still a Britannian territory...but their situation is currently no better than our own."

"What exactly do you mean?" asked Todoh, voicing the interested and confused thoughts of the rest of the listeners, even Kallen perked up in curiosity at this new piece of information.

The young politician wasn't long in explaining. "After the...conclusion of the battle," she shied away from mentioning that monstrous weapon, everyone sharing a grim look at the reminder, "most of the city was wiped out, including many of the hospitals. Those that were left were overcrowded within hours of the event, to the extent that relief efforts are still struggling to help everyone."

"Meaning," Kallen spoke up for the first time today, her new silent attitude resulting in everyone almost jumping having forgotten she was even there, "that right now, the last thing they're interested in is fighting." She may not be a tactical genius like Lelouch and Xingke, but that didn't mean she couldn't read the current moods of people. The Black Knights weren't any different after seeing the destruction a single F.L.E.I.J.A. could cause, add on Diethard's final broadcast that Zero had died in the blast and no one wanted to go anywhere near even a Britannian footsoldier right now.

The silent pondering came to an end with Tamaki asking the question they all wanted the answer to. "So what do we do now?"

"Well," Minami suggested, "if we had enough troops, we could try another attack. They're not exactly in any shape to retaliate."

"Unfortunately, we don't have enough for such an undertaking." Todoh replied coolly, his insulted glare saying exactly what he thought of such a strategy.

A similar glare was found on Kaguya as she sharply continued on from the general, "We will most certainly not be attacking." Her angered tone brought everyone's attention - some surprised, others absolutely disbelieving - back to her. "Right now those hospitals are treating both Japanese and Britannian civilians equally, whilst the army is occupied with excavation work. Launching an attack will only serve to harm our goal."

"But it's our best chance!" Oghi insisted. "If we move now we'll be able to take Britannia completely by surprise!"

"And in doing so we would lose all honour." Todoh snapped angrily. "There is no justice to be found attacking a wounded enemy, especially when they're working to save many of our own people!"

"But still-!"

"It's not all bad." Kaguya went on as if no one had spoken, "As part of our current agreement, we've been given permission to aide in the search and rescue operations." Once more everyone was struck silent by the latest surprise handed out by the UFN's chairwoman. "As it stands, Tokyo has been divided in half; one half to remain under Britannian governance, the other under the Federation."

"Why?" Tamaki asked yet again, not that Kallen was any better. As far as Britannia went this was down right charitable, what did they get out of letting the UFN have any say in the recovery operations?

"Because they're feeling the pressure," Xingke explained for them all. "They don't have enough people out there, and with us on their territory they would be able to cut down the time on their own recovery work. Correct?" He glanced down at Kaguya, who nodded at his summary. "But that still doesn't explain why Britannian would even consider giving us that much."

"As I understand it," she started, glancing around at everyone present as if she knew this next bit was going to set them all off, "the orders came directly from Emperor Lelouch himself." And as predicted almost everyone started shouting and demanding again.

Only Rakshata, Kallen and Xingke remained silent though for differing reasons. The Indian engineer just continued to lounge in her sofa, virtually unmoved by the drama, whilst Kallen was shocked to her core - Lelouch gave them Tokyo, not all of it but enough to get started with - why? After what they did...

As for Xingke his silence conveyed his disapproval on how the command staff was conducting itself through his scowl. A moment more and then he shouted once more for silence. Once they had all shut up, he nodded to Kaguya. She returned his nod and continued. "The Britannian ambassador said it was the emperor's wish that as much of the city be saved, civilians - Britannian and Japanese alike - taking priority. This has already been taken up with the rest of the Federation so right now we're under an official ceasefire with Britannia."

"In short, his majesty went over all our heads and talked to the real people in charge." Rakshata summed up, chuckling a little.

"Regardless of how he did it." Kaguya went on, "It means the UFN can safely begin the construction of an embassy without worry of attack."

That was all well and good, but it had brought up something Kallen hadn't had any real time to think about...and that just made her all the more ashamed it too this to make her think about it. "What part of the city does the UFN control?"

"Well there hasn't been an official draw up yet," Kaguya admitted, "but we would probably be given the western half while Britannia holds the east."

"I see." She dropped quiet for a moment as she thought it over. They'd admitted her into one of the smaller hospitals that looked the other way, but that had been on the eastern side of town. Which meant if she...no she _had_ survived, Kallen wasn't about to give up until every last ward had been searched. Which led to her next question. "What would we have have to do to get into the Britannian occupied half?"

"We would need to get permission from their foreign office." Kaguya explained, "The side effect of splitting the city between us is that the western half is now technically Federation soil bordering on Britannian territory. You wouldn't be able to enter their half without a special permit."

"Bullshit!" Tamaki yelled angrily, "You mean if I wanna see my girlfriend I gotta get the O.K. from the Brits?!"

His petulance was cut off by a mocking laugh from Rakshata, "As if you have a girl to see." However, her smile drifted away as the implications of his statement became clear. "But he does raise a point."

"Maybe so." Kaguya allowed, however the stern tone in her young voice brooked no further argument. "However, for the time being the Federation has agreed to comply with Emperor Lelouch's compromise."

"Then..." Kallen began, knowing that the more she said the more unwelcome looks she was getting from the people around her, "I need to get a pass to at least visit the hospitals." Recognition immediately flared up on Oghi and Minami's faces but she just continued to ignore them and focussed directly on the young chairwoman.

The girl remained silent for a moment, before giving her a small smiling and nodding. "I'll speak to the ambassador about it. No promises, but if you're doing what I think you're doing I doubt we'll have too much trouble."

Allowing the small possibility over no chance at all, Kallen allowed herself to smile back at Kaguya before moving away from the window and taking her leave. She may not be allowed to go yet, but it was only a matter of time. It was hard to believe but for once she was actually looking forward to becoming Kallen Statfeldt again.

* * *

Aside from a few more minor issues that didn't effect all that much, the meeting didn't last long after that and everyone filed out of the bridge in varying degrees of disappointment and exhaustion. As they were all leaving, Tohdoh made a point to catch Xingke's eye and indicate that there was still a matter he wished to discuss with the Chinese tactician. The chairwoman probably wouldn't approve of this conversation, but someone needed to bring it up and he had a feeling the Commander General was of a similar mind on the subject. He'd know soon enough once everyone else had left, leaving the two military leaders together.

It was Xingke who began in a hard tone. "This situation couldn't be worse." He stated, scowling. "The man who united us is now the leader of our enemy, and instead of launching an assault he halts all aggressive acts on all theatres of war. From a political standpoint he's made himself appear the opposite of Charles zi Britannia."

"But tactically speaking, it's concerning at least." Tohdoh continued on, grimly relieved that his colleague was of the same mind as himself. "He has time to overlook his forces and reorder them in a way that satisfies him. So if he wanted to launch an assault..."

"Then Japan is easily the weak link." Xingke agreed, "The Black Knights are weak right now, and after what happened here the UFN won't back a fight against a nation that can destroy cities with the push of a button."

"It's the worst possible situation." The general growled, slamming a fist against one of the large windows. "Zero...no, Lelouch knows all about our security systems as well as our limitations. He wouldn't even need F.L.E.I.J.A. to defeat us." He stopped a moment, taking a deep breath before stating what they were both thinking. "We need allies. People he doesn't know."

"I agree," Xingke nodded, though his uncertain frown let the general know his worries about that prospect. "The problem is where would we find them? The EU have rejected all our attempts to approach them." He snorted in disdain, the hand on his sword tightening. "I'm sure that they think the new emperor is a weakling who can be easily defeated."

"Which will be their undoing." Tohdoh followed up. "They don't know what he's capable of. Never mind that they don't stand a chance against Britannia as it is, with Lelouch in command the EU will be reduced to nothing but a word on paper!"

His superior nodded at the grim summation, "Exactly. The EU is in its last days, which means we need to use them as best we can. We need to train new soldiers and rebuild our arsenal."

"We'll need more than that." Tohdoh cautioned him, "We need minds that can think on his level, people who can manipulate the battlefield to their whims if we hope to have a chance."

"Hmm..." Xingke nodded, glancing out the window himself at the rain that had yet to let up, a considerate thought on his face. A moment later he turned back. "Have you heard of the group called 'Piece Mark?'" Tohdoh shook his head, "They're a small group that has connections with numerous resistance movements all over the world. It was through them that your Six Houses of Kyoto were able to acquire Rakshata Chawla and her Guren."

"I see." Tohdoh responded, though inside he was somewhat shocked. He'd thought that Kyoto House had been their sole backer, to learn that even they had been receiving outside help put in perspective just how many enemies Britannia had made over the years. What a force they might have been if they all united. "You wish to contact them?"

"Yes."

"And Schneizal? What's our stance on him?" He hadn't wanted to bring up that particular individual but as it stood 'the enemy of my enemy' could be their only option, regardless of how distasteful it might be.

It was a feeling Xingke shared with him as he responded. "Well right now we don't even know where he is, let alone how to contact him. And even if we could," his face twisted into a scowl as his gaze fell back to the giant crater "I doubt it would be a choice our people would ever forgive us for."

"Let them be alive at the very least to hate us then." Tohdoh stated, his own gaze finding its way to the heavy storm still raging outside, thunder rumbling in the distance to the east. "Because make no mistake, Li, war is coming. And this time, it's us who face the wrath of Zero."

* * *

 **Britannian Occupied Tokyo**

Even now over a month after the fact, the sector of the Tokyo Settlement that had once been the business district was in complete disarray. Whilst the F.L.E.I.J.A. crater was the most obvious sign of destruction it was far from the only site of recovery teams, the heavy bombing and wide shots from knightmares on both sides had left huge pot holes in the ground where buildings had once stood. And then there was the fact that the transport systems were still out of commission following Zero's initial attack on the Settlement, making certain crucial areas inaccessible which added on to the difficulties people were already facing thanks to the crater itself cutting off potential supply routes.

However it wasn't all bad news, in fact Britannian rescue teams had already finished the clearing away of wreckage in just a few days and now the place was swarming with medical personnel. What hospitals had survived the devastation were of high class and competence and so more patients survived than not, however the number of incoming patients itself served to stifle what progress could be made. Even now the corridors of every medical facility were swamped with injured civilians.

Suggestions had been made by the management of some hospitals to institute a triage but the doctors themselves refused to go through with it, even at the risk of losing their licence to practise medicine. The reasoning was clear: if triage was instituted the certain patients would get preference over those who should get it now - in other words, Britannians over the once again Japanese. After seeing what their military had done, no one who called themselves a doctor was in a mood to talk about Britannian superiority right now.

One hospital in particular that didn't get the recommendation for triage was a small institution lucky enough to not be caught in the F.L.E.I.J.A. though it had certainly been a close call. Here the staff worked around the clock to help every patient they could, regardless of backgrounds, though the small scale meant that they felt the limitations of treating so many people much earlier than the larger hospitals. In one ward, it could be expected to find maybe twenty people either lying on the beds or resting as best they could on the floor, futons having been provided where they could be.

Within one such setting, a patient who was lucky enough to get a bed suddenly shot up in alarm. She immediately regretted it as every nerve in her body suddenly blazed causing her immense pain and forcing her back down. When the stinging died down she opened her eyes again, taking a moment to observe her surroundings. The room was small, though packed full of people on the floor doing their best to sleep through their own pain, the overhead lights turned off adding to the gloomy backdrop of the heavy storm outside. Only one other occupant was awake directly across from her, reading to pass the time.

When she heard her roommate awaken, however, she placed her book down and granted her a weak smile. "You've finally woken up." She said simply, "I'm sure you have many questions. The doctors are busy right now, but if I can be of any help...?"

The patient didn't waste any time asking. "Where am I?"

"Tokyo." Her neighbour replied immediately. "Or what's left of it anyway. You were found just outside the huge crater that horrific weapon made, amazingly you didn't break any bones but all the same you've been in a coma for the last month and a half."

A month and a half? That was how long she was out for?! Fear now gripped her, enough that this time she didn't even feel the pain as she pulled herself back up. "What about the battle?!" She urgently asked. "Who won?"

But the woman shook her head. "No one really. They called a ceasefire after that weapon was used. Although," an uncertain frown now clouded over her features as she went on, "it was announced that Zero was injured and later succumbed to his wounds."

Zero was...her master was dead? _No. Not him too! I've already lost one of them, how could he have also...?_ She slouched forward as an overcoming wave of failure threatened to force her into submission, the pain once again being secondary to what she was now feeling in her heart. The idea that she would never see them again, no more days standing in pleasant vigil over her young mistress, never again to watch her brilliant master work his magic on the battlefield...tears soon began to drop down her cheeks, the thought to dreadful to behold.

The bearer of these sad tidings remained respectfully silent for a time before continuing. "I'm sorry. Were you one of Zero's supporters?" She received no answer but then it was unlikely she expected one and so she continued. "Well if I was him, I would hopefully be happy with the direction Britannia's new emperor is taking."

That brought the distraught woman up short and she returned eye contact to the other. "What new emperor?"

"A fine young man," the other patient explained before laughing lightly "a bit over-dramatic but children that age do like to show off. Lelouch vi Britannia."

The woman's tear-streaked eyes went wide at the mention of that name. _He's the emperor now? But they announced that Zero had died. Why would the Black Knights announce such a thing unless...?_ And then suddenly her sadness was overcome by anger that fought to break through her now impassive face. Those ungrateful traitors! How dare they?!

And yet he'd still managed to become emperor all on his own, and she had a funny feeling she knew how. "Let me guess," she asked her new friend, "he killed Charles zi Britannia and installed himself as emperor with the full backing of the royal family, yes?"

She allowed herself a small smile as the woman in front of her blinked. "Y-yes. That's exactly right. How did you know that?"

"Like I said, just a guess." She smiled, before blinking herself and realising her rudeness up to this point. "Oh, please forgive me. I haven't even asked your name."

The woman smiled back at her, waving it off. "It's no trouble," she assured, "you were concerned for your people, I can understand that. And it's Ayano. Ayano Kozuki."

 _Kozuki?_ It would be one big coincidence but she had to ask. "You wouldn't know a Kallen Kozuki, would you?"

Ayano nodded, though looking a bit troubled at the name being mentioned. "My daughter. How do you know of her?"

"It's pretty hard not to know the name of the Black Knights' famed ace pilot." She immediately responded, the lie coming easy to her lips.

To that Ayano just nodded, though the little 'hmm' she added made the woman feel as if she didn't quite believe the answer. "And what is your name?"

For a moment the woman hesitated, considering for a moment the dangers of revealing her identity to someone even slightly connected to those traitors even if it was only through family. But then she recalled right now her master was probably far safer now than at any time during his life in Japan. And if the Black Knights did come for her she would make sure they regretted it.

"My name is Sayoko Shinozaki."

Ayano smiled at the introduction and gave her a polite bow, "Pleased to meet you Sayoko."

"And you, Ayano." She returned the gesture. "I'm sure there's a lot more that's happened than just what you've already told me. Would you please fill in the rest of the blanks?" The more she knew, the faster she could become of use to Master Lelouch. She would not make the same mistake she did at the government building. Damn Schneizal to hell!

Her internal preparations went unnoticed by Ayano as she simply nodded and told her. "I'll do my best, though I'm sure there's a lot I don't know."

"Just what you do know for now will be enough." Sayoko replied, before a small pained groan to her side made her glance over at the bed immediately to her left. In it lay an admittedly handsome looking man of Britannian heritage with long black hair that would usually be tied back in a pony tail. On the table beside him lay a pair of glass spectacles that Sayoko was sure looked familiar but for the life of her couldn't place. "Who is he?"

"I don't know." Ayano replied, shrugging lightly. "He was brought in the same time you were."

That served to close that topic and the two women immediately sparked up a conversation, mostly Sayoko grilling Ayano for everything she knew and Ayano filling her in on all the amazing reforms that her master had managed to enact and enforce in Britannia over the last month. The more she heard, the prouder Sayoko became; even now, Master Lelouch was striving to create Mistress Nunnally's gentle world.

Both of them were so caught up in their own conversation that they didn't notice the third individual briefly regain consciousness, only to utter two words that made up a name and his devotion.

"Princess...Cornelia."

* * *

 **Europia United, Praha.**

For the last month the remaining nations of the EU had made their preparations for war. Despite their dismal situation hopes were unusually high, though this was a typical attitude of many European peoples, especially in hard times such as these. Many called their area of the world the 'Old Country' where history had moved on from, but to Europeans this just meant that they'd lasted the longest, had proved their ability to weather any challenge and would do so again this time when the tyrannical Britannia once again came to take what wasn't theirs.

It was definitely a sentiment that many of the soldiers shared at the very least, all their hopes pinned on this new strategy that their commanders had thought up. Numerically speaking they had the upper hand, although those numbers paled in comparison to the old Chinese Federation their statistics put them at three Europeans for every one Britannian. However Britannia's technology made up for the lacking man power and so the EU had learned that to win they had to fight smart.

This reliance on smart thinking was what put one General Gene Smilas in command of the new campaign to drive Britannia off of European soil. This night, he could be found in Praha's military base which he had set up as his base of operations.

 _Oh what a glorious eve,_ he couldn't help thinking to himself, a smile of anticipation on his lips as he looked over his notes. Unlike many of his colleagues who feared a renewed war with Britannia, the general saw it as a perfect opening for him to achieve his own goals. Those old fossils who'd forgotten how to fight and the suits who'd never fought for a single thing in their lives would stand no chance against him when he made his bid for power. And by looking the hero who had thrown out the aggressive Britannian invaders he would have the backing of the people as well.

But before that he had work to do, one task in particular being the seeking and acquiring allies outside of the EU. Which was what he was doing right now with the individual whose face was displayed on the screen directly in front of him. "So we have a deal?" He asked.

"But of course." His new ally replied, a genial smile on his lips that every politician knew not to trust. "I'm certain the coordinates I've provided you match the locations of several of Britannia's more precious military bases."

"It surprises me that Emperor Lelouch didn't move them." The general noted.

"Even Lelouch can't move an entire military base on a whim." The caller replied easily, "Besides he has other concerns. I know from experience that running that empire is a difficult and delicate affair. Not to mention he is still far too young for the role he's cast himself."

Smilas snorted, "Heh, you're right about that. The EU isn't anywhere near as big and yet we have at least six representatives for one member state and that boy thinks he can run an empire over six times our size?" He laughed heartily at such a preposterous notion. As far as he was concerned Lelouch was a sideshow, the boy may have somehow tricked his father into being stupid enough to get killed by him but there was no way the boy knew the first thing about true warfare. "It doesn't matter in the end. With this new plan and the reinforcements, that kid will soon learn not to butt in on adult affairs!"

"You should not hurry this along, General." A third voice spoke up amongst his allies who'd joined him for this conference. "Emperor Lelouch has more secrets than he lets on." The voice belonged to a figure dressed in a mismatched black and white suit and cape of Britannian design, his white hair was the only thing visible of his head as he hid the rest of it behind an imposing black and red mask. The figure then turned his head so the blue 'eyes' of the mask faced their faraway conspirator. "And I believe you know some of them."

"Wizard!" Smilas snapped at him. "This man is now our ally! In the wars he brought untold havoc to the EU, so you will show him the respect he is due!"

"Indeed you'd better." Another figure spoke up threateningly from the darkness. "In the old days, showing disrespect to the rightful heir to the throne resulted in certain death." His piece said he stepped forward so he was directly before the screen and went down on his knee. "General Johann Schwarzer is ready to do whatever you wish, please wield me as your sword," his head lifted up to look the man in the eye, "Prince Schneizal, true Emperor of Britannia."

The so named former prince smiled lightly at him before waving slightly at him to rise. "It gladdens me to see that not all of Britannia's military minds have been lost, General Schwarzer." He stated. "I hesitate to ask, but the rest of the Glinda Knights?"

"Traitors, every last one of them." The former Britannian general spat, scowling at the mention of his former comrades as he rose back to his feet. "Unlike those simpering fools however I am a true Britannian and I will not stand for this boy playing at king and ruining everything we are!"

"And your former commander?" Schneizal asked calmly, "My sister Marrybell?"

"Lost to us." Schwarzer growled. "One meeting with the boy and suddenly she's his number one fan when before she couldn't be sure if she even liked him!" He sniffed at the memory in annoyance before moving on. "But that can be saved for a later date, your Highness. For now, I have the new Knightmares you asked me to deliver. With these new weapons and the plan you devised we will utterly crush Lelouch and this weak Britannia he's created!"

"Your enthusiasm humbles me, General." The prince replied, "However, I believe it would be safe to send you two of my Knights of the Round."

"I would be happy for the assistance-" To everyone it appeared as if he'd simply tripped on his words. What they didn't know was that Schneizal had just triggered a latent command that forced him now to ask, "Your Highness, I would also like to know where you are currently residing. Surely it would be safer and more productive for all if we knew where to send resources should you need them."

Schneizal smiled smoothly before lowering his head. "I apologise, General, but for the time being that information must remain confidential." He explained before his eyes darted amongst the gathered conspirators in Smilas's office. "After all, what if some here still held resentment towards me?" He asked, his eyes finally resting on Wizard who crossed his arms and glared right back at him.

"Gentlemen please," Smilas stepped in, attempting to smooth out the situation, "we are here in common purpose: the enemy that none of us can defeat alone. For now let us focus on Emperor Lelouch as we should be." It was the 'for now' of that sentence that he knew everyone in this room, himself included, was focussing on. But that could wait...for now.

"So, General Schwarzer." He turned back to the former Glinda Knight. "Those machines you brought with you, they are all new generation models?"

The traitor general nodded. "Yes, Vincents, most of them have float systems installed but we do have some land only variants in case of unforeseen incidents. They should more than suffice for our attacks."

"Blitzkriegs." Wizard corrected, to which the general just rolled his eyes, "But I'm still uncertain as to whether this will work. Surely we can spare some time to mass produce a few more float systems to ensure extraction for all units?"

"That should not be a concern." Schneizal spoke up "I'm sure the resources General Schwarzer delivered to you will be enough.

 _Heh,_ Smilas kept himself from snorting. _He just doesn't want us to get our hands on one of their fancy flying machines._

"Anyway." The former prince continued, switching his attention to Smilas himself, "Doesn't the EU have their own advanced Knightmare models? I hear from one of my knights that they're quite formidable."

"Yes, the Alexander series." The European general answered, "We'll have them brought in as well."

"I see." Schneizal replied simply before nodding and granting them all a blank smile. "Well then gentlemen, I believe it is time for us to say goodbye for now." And without further ado his connection ended and the screen went blank.

A moment later, Schwarzer pushed himself off the wall he'd been leaning on and made for the door, "I must prepare as well." He said simply before leaving.

That left just Wizard and Smilas together. Once he was sure they were alone, the masked man turned to face the general. "Do you really think we can trust them?"

Smilas's look in response to that question was if he'd been asked if the moon was made of cheese before he let out a disdainful snort. "Oh heavens no! This is Schneizal we're talking about." And then he sighed. "However, what I said before was true as well. None of us on our own, not even him, can defeat Britannia. So for now we're saddled with him and that idiot he sent us."

For a moment silence reigned again before he broke it, concern now clear on his face. "Has she said anything?"

"The Dimensional Supervisor." Wizard stated more than asked. "No, she's been silent ever since she detected the change with our Thought Elevator. All she says is that she'll find something soon."

It wasn't the news the general had wanted to hear but to be fair he hadn't been expecting much; he'd been asking the same question every day since DS had informed them of the weakening of her Geass, and every time it was the same answer. Why should today be any different? Sighing, he nodded before waving Wizard off. "You had best be getting ready too."

"Yes." The odd man said, standing from his chair and heading for the door. "Our first Blitzkrieg begins in a few hours after all."

* * *

 **June** **2, 2018, Paris.**

It was a beautiful sunrise that greeted the skyline of Paris, city of love and former capital of France. It had been the first country Britannia had invaded after retaking the British Isles and had reaped the most damage. However, when they got to Paris, even the hardiest commander had been unwilling to destroy such a city. So instead they camped outside for a few days until the French did what they were best at and surrendered.

As such, the Parisians who were willing to work with the Britannian invaders were immediately granted Honorary Britannian status. That didn't really mean much under Charles zi Britannia's rule, but when Lelouch came to power it was these same Honorary Britannians who shouted down the naysayers when the Area was reorganised into the Special Administrated Zone of France, making the transition one of the smoothest in the former European territories.

Honestly, not a lot had changed. The buildings still stood, the birds still sang and the baker man still baked to the bells of Notre Dame. The only difference was the addition of military outposts throughout the city, made easier due to the rebuilding of Paris after the French Revolution. This came in handy during Charles zi Britannia's occupation which fueled anti-Britannian sentiment in those former French who could no longer call themselves their own nationality; whoever said the French couldn't fight were dead wrong - it was just the soldiers - constant guerilla strikes on the military from disenfranchised civilians necessitated the need for the creation of numerous punitive divisions due to the damage the city received from these attacks.

This in turn paved the way for Lelouch's reforms of the military, he used the existing setup to place in special squads of settlement units tasked with helping the new Britannian subjects, once again French, adapt to their new society.

In one such squad was a very promising young soldier, not much older than the emperor himself. He was a well built young man, with short blond hair and blue eyes. Despite his fair appearance he was far from squeamish at the sight of blood, having spilt quite a bit before the new regime came into being and ready to spill more should the time come. For King and Country.

Arthur Calhoun was his name, a private of the Britannian Settlement Corps. And right now he was traversing the perimeter of the danger zone in his Gloucester, hunting down a group of rebels that had been stupid enough to wander near it.

"Private Calhoun." His captain's voice came over the radio, sounding mildly cautious. "The boys are reporting movement over here. Looks like a knightmare. Pull on back son, I think we've got something here."

Young man that he was, Arthur obeyed the order and immediately headed towards his captain's IFF signal. A moment later he and the rest of his squad were out on the streets of Paris again. The odd reading had been sent to him by the captain and now the squad was closing in on it. However, just as they were right on top of it the signal shimmered and then completely fell off the grid.

"Weird..." Arthur muttered, "it's just gone."

"Spread out." The captain ordered, "Energy readings don't just vanish, they could be cloaked."

"Y'sure, cap?" One pilot asked, even as he moved to follow the order. "Could just be a busted generator or something?"

"Generators don't just vanish, Perez." The captain snapped back. "Now keep your eyes peeled."

"Aw this is bogus, cap!" Another spoke up, "Whatta we really doin' here? If I didn't know better I'd say this was a bug h-"

"You shut that mouth'a yours, Hudson!" The captain snapped again, "You got so much time to talk, maybe you can spend some of it actually looking fo-"

"Cap!" Perez called out, "Above!"

That was all the warning they got before a machine they'd never seen before descended upon his Gloucester, the machine torn apart before he could even fire off a round. It looked humanoid enough and was painted navy blue, but nothing about it spoke of Britannian craftmanship. Seconds after tearing up Perez, it pointed its gun at the remaining Gloucesters.

"Yukiya," a woman's voice spoke over an open communication. "Come here. I found the brat."

"Light 'em up!" Cap yelled, firing his Gloucester's rifle but it was all for naught, the strange machine dodged it like it was the freaking Lancelot! Things got even worse when Cap's weapon was shot out of his machine's hands. But the attack didn't come from the one in front but from behind

"Ah man, this is crazy man!" Hudson was yelling on his radio, firing wildly at the new machine that just dodged and weaved around his firing pattern. "Game over, man! Game ove-!" That was as far as he got before a second shot rang out and destroyed his Gloucester's cockpit. A third shot rang out, this one taking out the captain's Gloucester's leg and bringing it down.

"Captain!" Arthur moved quickly, his Gloucester catching Cap's before it could rattle his superior officer up too badly. "Sir, are you okay?"

The situation was anything but okay as yet another of the strange unknown machines rolled up behind them, no doubt the sniper.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Cap demanded, his voice not betraying an ounce of fear which even now Arthur was in awe of.

He was choosing to focus on that rather than the numerous other humanoid machines, following the same design of the two navy ones except painted orange, suddenly began to fill the sky. And with them came explosions and alarms as the Knightmares began to bomb Paris. On his radio, Arthur was already getting calls for help from his fellow soldiers, or sometimes just the final scream for their lives as these new monsters murdered his countrymen without warning.

And then the open line was back, this time a man's voice, probably the pilot of that other blue machine. "It is what it looks like, my dear Britannians." He told them mockingly. "This is an invasion!"

* * *

 ** _Hello everyone! This is the co-author, Tahkaullus01, informing you that this is where my meddling stops for the chapter. Ta-ta~!_**

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 **And we're here! Well I have nothing to say. But only** -

* * *

 ** _Omake_**

* * *

 **Second Battle of Tokyo.**

Lancelot was caught by Sutherland Sigh and Lelouch in his Shinkiro with Gilbert who was near him.

"It's over Suzaku!"-shouted black prince.

None of them noticed a flying knight six of the round.

" _Hey that's Suzaku!_ "-cheered in her Anya's mind former empress and Lelouch mother Marianne vi Britannia. " _I think is better to save him_."-she thought and forwarded Mordred towards her ally.

"Now Jeremiah!"-called him his lord."Use Geass Canceller and kill this traitor!"-ordered fury Lelouch.

"Happily my lord."-said orang after what his left eye opened.

Mordred flew closer only to see black knightmare.

" _Hey isn't that Lelouch's_ _knightmare."-_ thought former empress and didn't noticed blue wave."I didn't know that Lelouch can pilot, it's AHHHHH!"-she mentally screamed after mind of Marianne vi Britannia disappeared and left only Anya's mind."What was that?!"-she began to remember her life. Her childhood. How she played with princess Nunnaly and princess Euphemia. But most important. She remembered one special raven haired prince that promised her something.

"Don't worry buddy! I'm coming!"-playfully cried Gino in his Tristan that was near them.

"Gilbert! Kill him!"-ordered Lelouch in the open communication and immediately Anya's eyes went wide.

"Lulu?"-she asked herself weakly.

"Hey Gilbert, why are yu."-Gino does not finish his sentence, because his Tristan was destroyed by cannon shots from Mordred.

"Anay! What the fu."-Suzaku does not finish his sentence for the same reasons as Gino. When two lnights of the round were killed by their own ally Lelouch with astonished gaze looked at Anya.

"What the hell was that?! Anya?!'-asked Lelouch only to be seconds later be embraced in his Shinkiro by Mordred."What the?!"

"LULU!"-happily cried Anya with tears."It's really you!"

The battle ended in complete victory for the Black Knights. And Kallen who returned to them made her way to Zero's room.

"Zero, I came here to."-but her eyes immediately went wide when she opened door and saw a picture before her.

Before her was Lelouch in his Zero outfit without mask..and Knight of six tightly on his lap who hugged him.

"Kallen, you see she is."-but Lelouch does not finish his sentence, because Anya pressed him to her chest and happily cried.

"I'M HIS FIANCEE!"-Anya cried and now Kallen eyes were with pure fury and jealousy.

"Lelouch."-she said not hiding her anger. "Tell me this not true."

Lelouch wanted to answer but Anya abruptly pulled him to her and kissed what shocked both Lelouch and Kallen. Now you could see that Kallen hair is literally burning with rage.

"How do you like this answer? You red head bitch?"-Anya said with smirk.

Lelouch could sigh when two women rushed at each other with their guns pointed at each other.


	5. Invasion, but whose?

**June 2, 2018,** **Netherlands, Britannian Air Base.**

The sun rose on a grim sight today. Using information provided by General Smilas, the military forces of the EU had been able to pinpoint numerous strategically significant Britannian outposts all throughout occupied Europe. This one in particular provided air support for landing parties from the fleet that was hovering just on the edge of the North Sea, though more importantly the base was home to bombers that had been causing untold havoc on Germany's forces. Taking it out would deal a blow to Britannia's air superiority and as such it was a priority EU target. Thus on this summer morning, dozens of war machines followed the morning call to surround the base, mostly made up of _Panzer-Hummels_ though the more humanoid Alexander series model could also be found in the ranks.

Their commanding officer didn't waste any time and immediately opened up radio communication with his troops. "Soldiers of Europia!" He shouted with all his lungs' might. "Today marks our first great victory since the collapse of Euro Britannia! Do not fear death!" He encouraged, his eyes all but bulging from his eyes with anticipation for the day's work ahead. "You who fall this day will be remembered as heroes to the cause! We who survive however will become legends! For today marks the day our army brought our people home!"

His impassioned speech was met with the hearty yells and screams of joy and readiness ringing from virtually all the machines present. Now was the time! No more would Britannia have their way!

One pilot who did not whoop at the bloody day that awaited him was a bit of an oddity considering his nationality and the custom Gloucester he and the rest of his team piloted. When the general had started barking, René Lauren had turned down the volume as much as he could. "Such a loudmouth." He muttered to himself derogatorily.

"Agreed," his wingman Franz Vallo replied on their squad channel, "our old commanders were much better at these sorts of speeches. Where's the drama, I ask you? No sharp twisty hand motions or anything!"

"Well that's what we get I suppose," Alan Necker, another member, commented, "I mean, we should have expected things to be different after we went turncoat."

A fourth voice joined the conversation with a heavy sigh. "Yep, which means listening to these lacklustre speeches is part of the package."

The pilot, Kuzan Montoban, was of course referring to how the Euro Britannian autonomous mobile unit 'Asura Team' had defected to the EU just prior to the fall of their sovereign nation. This had been at the behest of the team's commander Ashley Ashra who had already switched sides, an act that initially didn't go down well with some of his team. However, when he explained to them that their old commander Shin Hyuga had used and discarded him like so much trash, the team quickly came around and willingly joined him in abandoning Euro Britannia to serve with their one-time enemy.

"Well it doesn't matter that much to me." Simon Mericourt put in his opinion to the discussion, "So long as we're all together I don't care where we are or who we serve."

"Well said," Jan Manes, the last member of their group barring their commander, agreed wholeheartedly. "Speaking of which, where is Ashley?"

His question was quickly answered in the form of a red blur that shot right past the entire division and took its place right where it should be: at the very front of the show. A parting gift from Unit W-0, the Alexander unit _Red Ogre,_ had become the new leading image of Asura Team, a clear sign of the changing times...good thing its pilot wasn't all that different.

"AAAWWW YEAH!" The thrilled voice of their one and only leader Ashley Ashra shouted into the team's radios, though the _Ogre_ itself didn't look to be stopping any time soon. "Some action at last! Hanging around in command rooms is just wrong!"

"Ashley!" Franz called out to him, "Don't rush on ahead!"

"Ah don't worry," their commander called back, not sounding at all concerned. "I'll make sure to save a few for you. Now then!" Even if it was just his voice on a radio, every member of his team could see the crazy glee on his face as he finished. "Let's show our fellow countrymen what we're all about!"

And despite the reckless charge, his team couldn't help replying with a loud, "Yes sir!" And charging down after him towards the unsuspecting air base.

* * *

Except the base far from unprepared, in fact their defences had been up long before their lookouts reported that EU troops had started to cross into their range of fire. They had had more than enough time to remove supplies and equipment along with all the non-essential personnel to the safest Britannian held city long before dawn broke. Right now there were only soldiers in the base, not a single chance of innocent blood being spilled existed. All according to plan.

Presently, the base's commander was approached by his second in command who readily saluted. "Status?" He asked him gruffly.

"Sir!" The soldier nodded sharply and retrieved a notebook from his pocket which he promptly opened at the relevant page. "All relevant materials have been successfully evacuated along with non-combatants. All remaining personnel are prepared to engage the enemy." He ran off crisply, snapping the book shut as he finished.

It was exactly as he'd instructed, right down to the last word, yet the commander remained silent, his gaze focussed on the line of EU machinery that was coming their way. At the head was an unusual sight: a team of Gloucesters being led by what he could only assume was Europe's latest model. It was exactly as he'd predicted.

His silence eventually got to his subordinate who asked the question no doubt the rest of his troops were thinking. "Sir, if I may ask, why are we simply handing this base to them without a fight?"

"Because soldier," the commander replied, his eyes finally leaving the screen in front of him to look the younger officer dead in the eye. "These are the commands of his majesty. His order is absolute."

What neither knew was these were the exact words their emperor had instructed him to say.

* * *

 **Paris**

In one moment the calm serenity of Paris had been broken by chaos and now the sky was filled with orange and navy blue machines descending on an unsuspecting target. The orange outnumbered the blue, giving the defending forces some idea of their command structure, but right now the Britannian troops were busy with a much more pressing matter: Defending the city they had managed to take without bloodshed.

It was a task that was being made harder every second they fought. Many of the troops were used to fighting _Panzers,_ not these agile things that seemed to defy physics. Their sheer speed was terrifying, even to those who'd served with the former Knight of Seven and his Lancelot. There was simply no strategy that the defenders had that could repel this new menace. And then there were the guerillas who decided to pop up and make their lives even more difficult, as if they'd been waiting for just this opportunity.

Worst of all, Command Headquarters was gone. The explosion had rung over the ears of every soldier wearing an earpiece or close to a radio: they were effectively on their own.

It was a particularly distressing situation for the Britannians on one street where a single unit of this new terror - the Alexander series - was decimating everything that came at it. Unlike the other machines of its series, this model was painted pure white, signifying it to those who were unaware as more than just another soldier. The pilot they faced today was none other than the 'Ghost of Hannibal.'

"Akito!" His commander, Leila Malcal, called over his machine's radio. "Data suggests that there's another enemy unit is coming towards you. Ayano and Yukiya have already cleared the landing zone so head to them. Ryo will join you in a few minutes."

Akito Hyuga allowed himself the smallest smile of admiration for his commander, she was overseeing everything from W-0's CIC with the rest of the unit and that gave him more than a little peace of mind. So long as she was looking out for them all there was no way they could lose this battle. "Roger." He answered, "I'll deal with the enemy here and make my way to the others."

Without another word said he got his Alexander _Liberte's_ landspinners going and launched his machine right at the enemy Sutherland squad that had just come around the corner, just as Leila had said there'd be. The Britannian machines didn't waste time and immediately opened fire on him but this was hardly a concern for a pilot whose machine could transform.

Reflexively, Akito shifted the _Liberte_ into its 'Insect Mode' and rushed them. The additional agility it now had gave it more than enough of an edge that the older machines just couldn't land a single bullet on his machine. To their credit, the Britannians did try to change up tactics, aiming for his sides instead of a direct on attack. They probably hoped that they could get him in the split second it took the _Liberte_ to come about and make the next jump towards them, unfortunately for them this proved less than useless as the reaction time between the machines just didn't compare and Akito was free to zig-zag all the way up to his enemy.

When the _Liberte_ was close enough to do some damage, Akito quickly shifted it back into its humanoid form and drew its katana. Before the lead Sutherland knew what was happening it had a blade rammed right through the machine's chest and into the cockpit. The shock value of the attack worked beautifully and Akito used it to his advantage to begin cutting up the remaining machines before their pilots had time to recover. None escaped the slaughter.

They were barely spared a second thought once the white machine was done with them as it immediately set off to link up with its comrades.

After a short and uneventful journey Akito arrived at the location where his friends should have finished securing the landing zone. What he found however was something much more amusing.

In his time with Wyvern squad, Akito had come to recognise his friends as some of the deadliest people he'd ever known. They'd fought against impossible odds on a daily basis, their tasks literally being labelled as suicide missions, and had always come up on top. Hell, they'd even tried to kill him once before. And yet...

He had to laugh at the sight of Yukiya and Ayano struggling in their Alexander units to beat one single Gloucester - what was basically a prettied up Sutherland - armed with only a standard assault rifle in one hand and a jousting lance in the other.

"Trouble?" He asked over a secured line, unable to hide the chuckle in his voice.

"Hey fuck you!" Ayano snapped back at him, dodging out of the way of a hail of bullets quickly enough to glare at him. "How about you help us out here?"

She was distracted again though the Gloucester fired off another volley whilst simultaneously evading Yukiya's covering fire and then charging forward with its lance. The result was that even if he couldn't score a hit, the Britannian had effectively pinned down two of Wyvern squad's most lethal killers.

"This guy really is good if he can make us hide like this." Yukiya muttered to himself on their line, which just set off Akito again. "Hey! Don't you judge us. We're not the commander's favourite."

"Yeah, not everyone can have as kickass a machine as you, Akito!" Ayano chimed in, her annoyance telling as it sounded like she was just shy of gnashing her teeth. "Dammit, where the hell is Ryo?!"

No sooner had she voiced her annoyance at their missing member that a third Alexander unit burst onto the scene. "Did someone call my name?" The boisterous voice of their friend, Ryo Sayama, joined the conversation. Then he went silent for a moment, also regarding the situation he'd found his comrades in, and suddenly burst out laughing. "Seriously?! You guys can't beat this ancient piece of junk?"

He let out another laugh before also opening fire on the Gloucester, and this time the Britannian machine wasn't quick enough to counter the attack. It managed to dodge, but it lost its assault rifle in the process. But that didn't stop it as the pilot took the machine's lance in both hands and rushed its new attacker head on. For his part, Ryo just stood where he was in the middle of the street until the tip of the Gloucester's weapon was less than an inch away. Then suddenly he sprang his own machine's arms forward and caught the lance in its hands.

"A-ha!" Ryo laughed out loud again, this time on an open channel even as the enemy pilot continued to push all it had into his machine's attack. "Well, gotta hand it to ya, you've got balls." He then shoved the Gloucester back a spin, almost knocking the weapon out of its hand though the pilot quickly got it back in a firm grasp. "But balls ain't enough to beat us, brat!"

"Shut up you damn euro!" The pilot finally yelled back, and Akito felt for a moment that he could actually feel the furious glare he must be shooting at them. "Our emperor ends the war and this is how you ungrateful bastards repay us?! All the dead you're responsible for..." before he even finished, the pilot had suddenly launched his Gloucester forwards again, "I GOING TO MAKE YOU PAY!"

The outright fury of the attack caught Ryo completely by surprise and the Britannian machine actually managed to get a hit in, striking his Alexander's shoulder and forcing him backwards. No real damage but enough to rattle a pilot. Ryo however was far from an ordinary pilot, if anything it just made him more insufferable. "Oi, oi! Dammit kid calm down!"

But that all changed once he righted his machine and transformed it to Insect Mode. "Alright then kid, you wanna play big boy games..." Ryo started, lethally pleasant, before launching his machine into the air at the offending Gloucester, "then have a taste of this!"

His intention had been to land on the Gloucester and force it to the ground where he could then happily take his time pulling it apart piece by piece. This plan wasn't to be though as the Britannian pilot brought his machine's free hand up in front just in time to shove the Alexander back and away from him. Ryo's machine fell back unscathed however it was forced to transform back before the Gloucester could get an attack in. The Gloucester itself wasn't so lucky, while it had managed to negate the attack, Ryo had still managed to tear the right arm off; if he tried that tactic again, the Britannian was finished.

"Alright." Ryo muttered, "Now you're starting to get annoying, brat." His Alexander moved to rush the Gloucester again, who stood firm in the face of certain defeat, the lance still held in its left hand.

The next attack never came however as Akito's _Liberte_ suddenly stepped in between them. "That's enough Ryo, we've got work to do." He told his teammate firmly before setting his sights on the Gloucester. "You did really good against my team, Britannian. I'm sorry it has to end like this for you but we have a mission to complete." He then drew his machine's katana and pointed it at the faceless aberration before him. "Nothing personal, its just duty."

For a moment the Gloucester's pilot was silent, but then he shouted loud and true so that all of Wyvern squad could hear him. "And my duty as a soldier of Britannia is to protect the innocent! Now enough talk!" The lance came forward, pointed directly at the _Liberte,_ "Have at you, european! All Hail Britannia! All Hail Lelouch!"

Honestly, Akito hadn't expected any other answer than that. As such he just closed his eyes and transformed his machine into Insect Mode before rushing the enemy. The Gloucester, likely knowing this was the end, didn't move an inch - neither to attack nor retreat - it held its post to the very last second. But that wouldn't change its pilot's fate. The _Liberte_ came up close, transformed back into its humanoid mode and, like with the Sutherlands before it, Akito launched an attack right at the machine's chest. The pilot deserved that much at least.

And in that moment everything changed.

As if it had been timed for this very event a new machine suddenly dropped out of the sky landing in between the Gloucester and the _Liberte._ Akito was so taken aback by this sudden appearance that he didn't have time to stop his attack, the blade heading straight for its chest now. However just before the tip could meet its mark, a red protective shield suddenly burst into life around the Knightmare's torso, stopping the _Liberte_ in its tracks.

 _What the hell?!_ Akito didn't have time to voice it as the red shield suddenly dropped down and immediately the newcomer's arms rose up so that they were pointed directly at him. A second later, the armour on the bottom of the arms slid down revealing to muzzles that were already charging up a high energy blast. Realising the danger he was suddenly in, Akito pulled the _Liberte_ back just in time to dodge two orbs of dark red destructive energy that soared past him and his teammates and immediately vaporised the street behind them.

"Akito, you okay?" Ayano called out to him, her Alexander coming up on his side with Yukiya's and Ryo's on the other.

Akito shook himself out of his shock and quickly responded to his teammate. "Yeah, I'm fine. It just caught me off guard."

"Yeah, speaking of, what is that thing?" Ryo asked, his machine coming up to stand in front of Akito's. "It doesn't look like any Brit weapon I've seen before."

He was right on that, the Knightmare that had come to the Gloucester's aide was completely unknown to the team and clearly deviated from typical Britannian design. It stood at about the same height as their machines, sporting a black and gold paint job on the main body whilst the cockpit block on the back was painted a dark red, with four antenna spreading outwards - likely the machine's float system. But the head was really where it was different; unlike most Britannian machines there was no sign of a fact-sphere present, instead there was a white mask that formed the 'face' of the Knightmare, with four bloody red cameras glaring out of the 'eyeholes' in the mask - two for each. And atop the machine's head was something of an ornate golden crown that encircled it entirely with a purple orb in the center.

"Well whatever it is," Ryo carried on after taking the whole thing in, "it's fucking awesome!"

"You got that right." Yukiya agreed, though his voice was filled with uncertain caution. "Maybe he's a Knight of the Round?"

"Can't be," Ayano replied, her own tone equally cautious as she raised her machine's weapon to point at the new arrival, "they were all declared traitors, remember."

"So maybe it's a new one." He suggested. "They had to be replaced sooner or later."

The black Knightmare itself had remained still all throughout this exchange, but now it turned slightly so that it could look at the Gloucester it had protected. "Are you alright, soldier?" The newcomer asked, on an open channel no less.

Such a blatant disregard for security had Akito raising an eyebrow, who was this guy? And why had that voice just sent a shiver down his spine?

The Gloucester appeared just as confused as the others at this unexpected interruption because he too had forgotten to switch frequency. "Yeah...yeah I'm okay." He replied, sounding just as uncertain as his enemies right now.

"Huh," Ayano muttered to herself, sounding a bit more relaxed at the exchange, "maybe we're worried over nothing. What amateur forgets to switch their comms?"

"Stow it." Akito ordered sharply before giving the black machine his full attention, raising the _Liberte's_ katana up in an aggressive posture. Using the open frequency he immediately demanded everyone's - friend and foe - question. "Who are you?"

For a couple of tense seconds there was no reply, but then their radios were filled with a cold laugh that put the entire team on edge. That laugh was soon followed by that agonisingly familiar voice. "Yes, that would be the first question you would ask." He stated, a level of amusement clear in his voice. "Very well, I suppose I can grant you the courtesy."

To everyone's collective shock, the black machine knelt down on one knee, bending forward so that the backpack was visible to Wyvern squad. The backpack then opened at the top rather than the back, which was the usual Britannian design, so that the pilot could stand from his cockpit. From his position, Akito was able to make out what looked like a fully panoramic viewscreen within that likely gave the pilot a full image of his surroundings rather than the three monitors most standard Knightmares used.

However all of that paled in the face of who it was that stood up from that cockpit. It was an appearance no one had been expecting, not even the Gloucester pilot who stuttered out his shock. "Y...Your Majesty?"

"But of course, my brave knight." Replied Emperor Lelouch vi Britannia, the man himself clad in a white and gold pilot suit resembling the ones worn by the Knights of the Round. It differed however, as, on the black chest section where the golden sword hilt symbol of the Britannian military would be, there was instead the red eye with golden feathered wings that had quickly become the logo of Lelouch's regime. There was also a black belt that hung loosely around his hip that also sported the symbol but in grey. For all that though, the Britannian Emperor simply smiled, as if this was another day on the job for him.

It certainly wasn't normal for the Britannian he'd saved as he tried again to form a coherent sentence. "But...but...sire, what are you doing here?!"

The emperor's smile turned to a look of surprise, almost as if he was offended at the idea that he shouldn't be present. "Soldier, I am here to do what any real leader should." He told him firmly, "After all, if the King does not lead how can he expect his subjects to follow? By the way," he continued, returning to something of a nonchalant tone, "what's your name?"

"Arthur Calhoun, sire." The up till now unknown pilot answered immediately. "At your service in any way you see fit, my emperor."

Once more, the emperor offered him a smile and then lifted an arm up, though the way he did it made everyone watch him - something about the way he waved his arms with such dramatic poise simply drew anyone and everyone (friend and foe) to follow them - until a single long finger pointed into the air. "Then look skyward, Arthur. Salvation has come."

Regardless if his words had been for the Britannian pilot alone, Akito and the rest of his team also looked up into the sky and what they saw sent a stab of fear into their hearts. From above the clouds had appeared the shadow of a Britannian airship, and not just any one at that. Wyvern squad immediately made it out to be the former flagship of Schneizal el Britannia, _Avalon,_ and suddenly Akito felt true dread.

 _Has the emperor made peace with him? Is the White King on board?_

He didn't have any answers, nor would he receive them as, the moment the _Avalon_ broke the cloud barrier, dozens of white painted Vincent Wards, and for every two of them in between descended the grey titans known as the Gareths, came pouring down upon the battle ridden streets of Paris - right on top of what was supposed to be their landing zone. They didn't waste any time either as the Vincents flew ahead to help out their exhausted comrades whilst the Gareths' arm-mounted hadron cannons began spraying red death on the EU's forces.

In just one minute, the battle that had been supposed to be an easy win had just been flipped in Britannia's favour. The Alexanders may have had the Sutherlands and Gloucesters beaten, but the Vincents were the descendants of the dreaded Lancelot whilst the Gareths' predecessor Gawain had proven its destructive supremacy when it had been used to nearly topple Britannia's control of Japan only a year ago.

There was now a sense of urgency in the air and for the life of them, the pilots of Wyvern squad didn't have a clue what to do now.

"Akito. Akito!" He was snapped out of his terror-induced awe by the nervous shout of his commander over the radio. "What's going on out there?! We're getting reports of an airship directly above our LZ."

"It...it's him." Akito heard Yukiya whisper, almost too quietly for the radio to catch, "The White Emperor is in Paris."

For a moment the radio was silent, no doubt Leila and the rest of the control operators were absorbing what they'd just been told, hell Akito himself barely believed what he was seeing before him so he had a feeling he knew exactly what was going through their minds. The moment passed and then Leila's voice came back through the radio, though it was clear she was trying to hide the shake in her voice. "Say again? Akito can you confirm?"

"Confirmed." He managed, doing his best to mask his own worries at this newest revelation. "Emperor Lelouch vi Britannia has engaged us at the LZ in a new model. It's like nothing we've ever seen before."

"It's got this tough shield that stopped Akito right in his tracks!" Ayano supplied, "And it's got those red Britannian death beams the Gareths use."

"And it looks awesome!" Ryo chimed in, immediately going into detail about just what it looked like and how awesome it would be if they could capture it. Somehow though, Akito suspected that the operators had muted him the moment he got started. It's what he'd done, after all.

"Commander." He spoke up, though not taking his eyes off the emperor who was still standing outside of the safety of his cockpit. "What's our next move?"

He gave her a moment to think it over, as he knew she would need it. This was big. If they could beat Lelouch here, Britannia would fall for sure. Her reply all but vindicated this summary, "If we could take the emperor hostage, we could use him as a bargaining chip to force them to surrender."

"So we just have to capture him?" Ayano asked, her concerned tone now giving way to something approaching eagerness. "Piece of cake."

A moment later, her Alexander's arm raised to aim its 'Judgement' LAR at the legs of the emperor's machine. The man himself paid them no heed, simply continuing to speak into his earpiece about something, for all intents and purposes completely vulnerable to an enemy attack. Whether it was confidence or arrogance that led him to leave himself open, Akito didn't know but regardless, Ayano was about to make him pay for such a blase attitude. With that, she fired her rifle with perfect accuracy.

* * *

"R-Group 1, move up the streets and engage their frontal forces." Lelouch commanded with pristine efficiency before glancing down again at the tactical information being sent to him from the Shinkiro's Druid System. "P-Groups" he addressed the surviving Parisian forces, "B-Groups 1 and 2 are about to commence aerial bombardment of areas G3 to G9, take cover immediately."

"Q-2, you're straying too far out!" He quickly snapped after spotting Cinder's IFF moving up ahead of the others, into the open. "Come back around to the Arc de Triumph, N-Group 2 be ready to give her covering fire."

All of his commands were met with short but determined acknowledgements, and then they went to work exactly as he'd ordered. Maybe it was bit morbid, but Lelouch had missed this, the feeling of absolute control of the battlefield. He hadn't truly felt this exhilarated since the Black Knights had abducted the Chinese Federation's Tianzi and ran for it, Xingke and Britannia hot on their heels. Oh how the times had changed.

That didn't, however, take away from his anger at what the European forces had done to Paris, the city that no one wished to harm was now on fire thanks to their sneak attack. When the _Avalon_ had descended it had been to an image of Hell. And Lelouch knew just who to blame. While officially it was believed that the EU's General Gene Smilas was behind this attack, his own preparations and informants had uncovered the true mastermind of this barbarism.

 _Schneizal. You gave them our weak points and sent them all in, and then just to spice it up you tried to distract us with this. This furthers my goals towards the endgame, but I have to sacrifice my search for you to do so._ _..a beautifully planned strategy, nothing short of artful. However..._ His calm posture was short of cracking as he once again read the data coming in from the Druid system. _Your weaponised form of empathy is absolutely intolerable._

He was distracted from his thoughts though by the Shinkiro shaking beneath him, backed up by his pre-programmed configuration into the Absolute Defence Field suddenly going live. _Huh, took them long enough._ Glancing down he noticed that the shield wall had sprung up around the Shinkiro's left leg, the fifth location he'd calculated they'd likely target if they wanted to take him alive. But for them to take this long still annoyed him and he let out a heavy sigh before speaking into his earpiece one final time. "I'll be engaging the enemy myself now. Once you have completed your assigned objectives, proceed forward at your own discretion. Force these bastards out of _our_ city! All Hail Britannia!"

"All Hail Lelouch!" Every soldier - Geassed and non-Geassed - immediately replied, giving him tingles like it always did.

That taken care of, he turned to address the four machines in front of him - the Alexander series, if his memories of that bastard Julius Kingsley were accurate - in a deceptively bored manner. "Do you people mind? I'm in the middle of evicting your allies."

He received no response even though he'd resumed the open channel with them, probably surprised that he was taking them so lightly after what they'd managed to achieve so far. Continuing his nonchalant act, Lelouch shrugged and returned to his cockpit, the hatch sealing shut above him and reactivating the panoramic screen. "Well, whatever." He continued over the radio. "This is a battlefield after all, might as well enjoy myself whilst my people do all the real work."

"Well look at this," one of the pilots finally spoke up, sounding more than a little condescending, "the Brit Emperor tells jokes. Hope you're that funny when you're in a cell."

"I have been told I have a strange sense of humour." He admitted to the nameless loudmouth who was starting to remind him of Tamaki - _taking him out first -_ still maintaining his pleasant tone. Glancing over his shoulder, he noticed the damaged Gloucester moving up to cover his left flank; that wouldn't do at all. "Calhoun, stand down." He commanded with authority. "I'll deal with these four myself."

"Sire, I can't do that." Calhoun replied, anger dripping from his voice. "Two of these bastards killed my entire squad. I'm not letting them get away with that."

"All the more reason for me to avenge them, pilot." He replied, still firm in his decision. "They were my soldiers after all."

"But Sire-!"

"Take a look at your machine!" Lelouch snapped at him, once again taking note of all the dings, scratches and broken armour. The missing right arm was the most visible loss but it was far from the worst the Gloucester had sustained. "If you engage them again you will die. How does that avenge your colleagues?" He was being incredibly harsh, but experience (and C.C.'s unique brand of a pep talk) had taught him that this was the best way to snap noble morons out of their delusions...too bad it never seemed to work on Suzaku.

It had worked this time though, as Calhoun grudgingly replied "Yes, Your Majesty" and pulled his Gloucester back and out of the way.

Lelouch followed his progress until the machine stopped maybe fifteen meters away. Far enough that Calhoun wouldn't be a hindrance yet close enough that he could jump in if it looked like things were going bad. Satisfied with that compromise, Lelouch focussed his attention on the four Alexanders. "Well, my dance card's free. Who wants to go first?"

He half expected the loudmouth to rush him first, but instead the white one clad in purple armour made the first move with its katana drawn. At one time, Lelouch would have been curious to know why a Japanese man would side with the EU, leading to a lengthy conversation of his choice in partnerships - he was well aware of how the Europeans treated the Asian groups - but after so much wasted time on Suzaku, he found that he really didn't care. Only one thought went through his mind as the customised Alexander came at him and it was this: _Let's see how Lloyd's improvements fare._

That thought in mind, he activated the Shinkiro's new feature, based on the Blaze Luminous but designed with offence in mind. On the sleeves of his Knightmare's arms two new emitters had been installed that now went active, projecting MSV particles in the form of a green blade. Using the data provided by the Druid system, as well as his own recent Knightmare training, Lelouch predicted the katana's path and immediately moved to intercept with his new 'Blaze Gladius.'

For a moment both machines stood locked together, both pilots pushing against each other's weapons. But then the moment passed and the three navy blue machine suddenly rushed in to back their leader. Seeing them come at him, Lelouch pulled back and immediately went to his keyboard interface - now a fixed console instead of something that folded out - and brought up the ADF in time to intercept their rifle fire.

"Dammit!" Ah, it was the loudmouth again and he was firing for all his worth in utter frustration. "That freaking shield again! Hey, quit hiding behind that thing and fight like a man!"

Lelouch 'hmm'd' it over for a moment over the open channel, which just got the emotional one even more annoyed at him as the increased rate of fire suggested, and then shrugged. "Okay."

The Shinkiro suddenly shot forward, the ADF vanishing just as he came in range of the unit whom he determined belonged to Tamaki the Second, and swiped forward at him with his Blaze Gladius. Annoyingly though, this man didn't resemble his former subordinate in Knightmare competence as he managed to evade his attack at the last second, giving his teammates a chance to open fire on him again.

This went on for some time, becoming almost routine: He'd charge one, they'd dodge and fire, at which point he put up his shield. Sometimes the custom model tried to get a swipe in but that just brought everything to a short standstill before the routine restarted itself.

"Hah!" Not-Tamaki, barked at him during one of these momentary lulls, "Is this all the great and powerful emperor can do?! What were we ever scared of?"

"Ryo, shut it!" A woman's voice came over the comm. "We don't know what else he's holding back."

She was right of course, and wouldn't you know it Lelouch had just decided he'd run out of patience with these people. Pushing off of the custom unit, he again turned to face the hot headed one. "Ryo was it?" He asked casually, deactivating his left Blaze Gladius. "You should really do something about that mouth. It's going to get you into trouble one day."

He then demonstrated his point and activated the Shinkiro's left Hadron Blaster, firing on him immediately. His sudden attack caught the pilot off guard, not enough that he was able to evade it but still enough that the blast hit his machine's left arm, causing it to explode. The force of the impact also took its toll, knocking the Alexander off-balance and tipping it over.

"Ryo!" The woman's voice called over the channel again, her machine coming up to cover her fallen comrade along with the other Alexander and the custom unit. However the damage had already been done; he'd wounded one of them thus splitting their focus, the rest would move like clockwork.

The as-yet-to-be-identified third Alexander turned to fire its rifle at him whilst the woman's unit helped their companion up, for all the good it did them. Lelouch had already input the needed data into the ADF before the enemy pilot ever pulled the trigger. Then he simply waited for the Alexander's rifle to run out of ammo, forcing him to switch out magazines, after which he dropped the shield and launched the new chest-mounted slash harkens - _what Rakshata was thinking of, sticking them in the knees, I'll never know -_ straight into the distracted enemy's hands, knocking the rifle away.

Having stunned his enemy, Lelouch charged forward. The custom unit came forward to back up his comrade but with only one of them wielding a close range weapon at the moment, Lelouch felt he had little to be concerned about. As such he headed straight for his dazed prey first and grabbed it by the head, immediately applying pressure to it. He noticed the custom unit come at him from the side - fortunately for him it was from the right, his left hand was the one currently occupied - and reactivated his Blaze Gladius, blocking the intending strike to the Shinkiro's torso.

It was at this moment though that something clicked for Lelouch that he hadn't realised he'd been thinking about. He had the vaguest memory of a minor nuisance from his brief stint as that damned military advisor, some minor addendum in a report that Kingsley hadn't been all that interested in; a Knightmare team of four, all of whom were Japanese, who piloted the new Alexander series models and had given Euro Britannia so much trouble. The infamous Wyvern squad, known to the Britannian soldiers as...

"Hannibal's Ghost!" He said out loud, before descending into a fit of laughter, all the while his grip on the machine in the Shinkiro's hand becoming that much tighter. "Well this is certainly a surprise. I never thought I'd encounter you this early, I believed Leila Breisgau above this sort of atrocity." As he spoke, the Shinkiro's fingers suddenly broke the armour of the captured unit's head and now began to cause damage to its Brain Raid System.

"Nor did I believe," the emperor continued, his voice suddenly cold as ice "that you could be destroyed so easily."

He barely noticed the custom unit - which he could now only conclude belonged to Akito Hyuga - switch to long range, firing at him with its rifle. A single stroke of the keyboard interface and the ADF once again went up. As he did so, the captured Alexander's head started to smoke, its BRS clearly about to succumb from the pressure he was putting on it.

"Yukiya, eject!" Hyuga suddenly called out over the open channel. "We can't win this."

"What?!" Lo and behold the return of the loudmouth, who Lelouch could now identify as Ryo Sayama. "Are you nuts, Akito?! This is a goldmine, we can't just-!"

"We're retreating!" Hyuga snapped at him, "Yukiya, eject now!"

He didn't have to wait long for his teammate - _Yukiya Saruse,_ Lelouch mentally noted - to comply as the oval section of the pod suddenly detached and blasted off, where it was caught by Hyuga's unit just in time to see the Shinkiro's hand finally cut through his Alexander's head. The now headless and lifeless machine then collapsed at its conqueror's feet at which point the Shinkiro turned its glare on the surviving units.

"Damn..." Sayama muttered to himself as the final machine - which by progress of elimination made her Ayano Kosaka - pulled his up to its feet again.

"Everyone pull back." Hyuga ordered, not taking his focus off Lelouch for a second as he moved away as quickly as possible to his teammates, his machine now also out of the fight being loaded down with Saruse's escape pod. As one, the defeated team pulled back as quickly as possible, their hold on what would have been a strategically critical landing zone completely lost.

As for Lelouch, he watched until they had vanished from his sight, after which he finally switched over to a secure line and put his earpiece back on. "This is K-1 calling _Avalon,_ LZ secured. Do you hear me Lloyd?"

"Loud and clear, Your Majesty~!" Came Earl Asplund's sing-song reply. "And how is my dear _Imperium_ treating you?"

"It's magnificent Lloyd." He told his chief engineer truthfully, before turning around to focus on the lone spectator to his very first battle. "On a related note, I think I've found a devicer for the _Reaper."_

He had to pull off his earpiece again to avoid the back-feed caused by Lloyd's happy squeal.

* * *

Private Arthur Calhoun was in shock, what he'd just played witness to was something one would think existed only in fantasy novels; the Emperor himself had taken to field of battle and had single-handedly fought off a squad of elite EU forces, two of which had killed his own team. To learn that it was the feared Hannibal's Ghost he'd been fighting all this time had also been a shock, he hadn't cared to think about who was trying to kill him but to know it was some of the EU's best...and that His Majesty actually managed to destroy one of them...

"Sire." He spoke up once the battle was over, his Gloucester rolling up so it stood just a step behind the Emperor's black Knightmare. "Why did you let them go? It would be safer to just destroy them, wouldn't it?"

"Maybe so," the Emperor conceded, his machine turning to regard Arthur's own, "but truthfully there's nowhere that they can run. This battle's already over."

Before Arthur could ask what he meant by that, his scanner suddenly picked up the arrival of ten new IFFs designated as friendly dropping directly on their location. Looking up, his jaw almost dropped as another new Knightmare design he didn't recognise filled his front screen.

They looked to be about the same height as His Majesty's, painted in royal purple. Their torso was reminiscent of the former Knight of Six's Knightmare Frame, yet the backpack and float system followed the same style as the Emperor's. Also like His Majesty's their heads stood out the most, designed in the style of the helmets worn by the ancient Roman Centurions. A bit of a questionable choice, considering their people's history with the Roman Empire, but maybe His Majesty thought it ironically fitting. Flowing down their backs was a red cape, bearing the same mark as he'd seen on the Emperor's pilot suit: a red eye with feathered wings.

Armed with red tipped spears and a V.A.R.I.S. rifle stored on the back of their hip armour, the ten machines came to a halt just above them waiting on their Liege's orders. And His Majesty didn't waste time with giving them.

"Centurions 6 and 7, head to the city centre and take command of our forces there, wipe out everything that isn't one of ours. Centurions 8 through 10, head to the south of the city, ensure that the EU understands their attack will not be tolerated. 5, link up with Sir Gottwald in the east, I doubt he needs the help but give it anyway."

He gave his orders swiftly and without a hint of nerves, Arthur could almost feel the confidence coming off of the man in front of him as he instructed his soldiers on their next moves. So much so that he almost missed the Emperor identify them. "Now go, my Scarlet Guard, and mark my enemies in your colour!"

"YES, YOUR MAJESTY!" The six he'd given orders to bellowed with all the loyalty they possessed and immediately dispersed.

That left Arthur with the Emperor and four of his most loyal soldiers hovering around them. If the Private was honest with himself, he was starting to feel a bit small inside of his beat up Gloucester. He was in the presence of his nation's leader and it was in this messed up piece of junk! Honestly he wouldn't have been surprised if His Majesty just decided then and there to disembark.

Instead though, the Emperor returned his attention to him, which put him on even more edge before he even spoke. "Arthur Calhoun," he began, causing the pilot to let out a very unmanly 'eep' "you have shown great courage this day, to face off against the Ghost of Hannibal and survive is no small feat."

At that moment Arthur was really glad they were talking over the radio and not via video link, his face reddening at His Majesty's praise was the last thing he wanted anyone to see. Still, he felt he needed to reply. "I-I simply did what was expected of me," he replied after clearing his throat, trying not to stutter, "to protect the innocent and aide the weak, just as Your Majesty would have done."

"Regardless," Emperor Lelouch continued, a proud tone in his voice, "it is one thing to say and another to do. Come, Sir Calhoun," his machine lifted off the ground to hover with his guard, "I've ordered a transport to pick you up and take you to the _Avalon."_

The _Avalon?_ Away from the battle before it had ended? "Please, Sire, I can still fight!" Arthur protested. "To my last breath I will fight for Britannia!"

"I don't doubt that." The Emperor replied, "Which is why you must go to the _Avalon._ Your new steed is waiting for you there."

"Sire?" It was only then that it clicked in Arthur's mind, that His Majesty had called him _Sir_ Calhoun. But that couldn't mean...could it?

* * *

Seeing that he'd well and truly confused his new knight, Lelouch immediately set off into the skies to get a bird's eye view of the battle. Data from the Druid system as well as reports from the _Avalon_ suggested everything was going precisely as planned. It was enough to bring a little smirk to his face, the EU hadn't expected his sudden arrival with more than enough back up to defend and hold Paris. Even if it meant playing directly into Schneizal's hands this was one battle he was willing to give his brother.

 _I'll wipe them all out. The EU, Schneizal, even the UFN and the Black Knights if I must. The gentle world is coming and I will do whatever I must to bring it about!_

So declaring in his mind, Lelouch turned his thoughts into action as the Druid system suddenly picked up the arrival of new EU forces coming in from the sky; more Alexanders coming in via parachute, numbers large enough to potentially turn the battle for Paris into a long and dirty struggle. Unfortunately for them, the Shinkiro _Imperium_ still had its most devastating weapon at its disposal which Lelouch now deployed.

Hovering in an optimal firing position, arms spread out wide at chest level, the Shinkiro's chest opened up and fired out its reflective prism. After which, a single rectangular missile was fired out of the machine's back into the air, where it burst open and scattered hundreds of small reflective chaff shards. And then finally, when Lelouch had calculated everything to be absolutely perfect, he fired the Diffusion Structure Phase Transition Cannon straight into the prism. The radiant purple beam was immediately refracted outwards in virtually every conceivable direction, the beams then hit the chaff, being reflected back inwards and straight onto the intended target.

In a blinding ray of light, every incoming Alexander either exploded, was set ablaze, or lost their parachutes thus carrying their pilots to a very violent end.

With one swift stroke of a keyboard, the battle had come to an end with a decisive victory for Britannia.

Lelouch didn't stick around to admire his handiwork however, his troops still needed to do their bit though the morale boost of such an attack would definitely help them along with the added benefit of terrifying the EU's soldiers. Therefore there was no more need for him on this battlefield and so he shifted the Shinkiro in Fortress Mode and set off back to the _Avalon._

There was still one more task at hand to clear: His speech.

* * *

 **Netherlands.**

The battle, if anyone could even call it that, had ended in a decisive victory for the EU. Whilst the Britannian put up a fight, it was clear that they were doomed from the outset. Nevertheless they hadn't gone down easy and whilst the EU's losses had been minimal it would not be said amongst any of the troops that Britannia gave up easy. Still it was the EU's win and they were quick to begin disassembling the destroyed hangars whilst medics ran to and fro to tend to the injured, both their own and POWs, and other soldiers began setting up holding cells for their defeated foes.

As for Asura Team, they were resting a little further away from the rest of their comrades. Having been the first squad to engage the enemy, their kill count was the highest of all their side's units. However that also meant that they were the most wiped out from their hard day's work and now they were just trying to get a nap in. Unfortunately they couldn't do this because of concern for their leader. Ashley had racked up more kills than anyone else even in their team, commenting more than once that it was all too easy.

A comment that was now bothering him to no ends and effecting the mood of his friends and teammates.

"Ashley?" Franz started, "Is something wrong?"

The redhead glanced at him and then sighed, his disappointment clear though in his expression there was also a touch of anxiety. "It's the fact that these brats went down so easy, even if they did put up a fight. Those EU guys think this was hard work, but we of all people know what Britannia is like when it works hard, this," he waved at the air base, "wasn't even a rookie's effort."

"So what are you getting at?" Simon pushed from his perch.

"I think we've been had." Ashley stated, more than a little miffed, "the real battle's somewhere else. This was just a decoy."

"A decoy?" Jan replied, before shaking his head. "Doubt it, what would Britannia get out of it? There's no logic to it." The others nodded at his assessment, all in agreement.

But Ashley's expression remained troubled as he overlooked the prisoner transfer. "I don't know why they did it." He stated, his gaze falling on the enemy commander as he was led to his cell. "But something isn't right here."

* * *

 **Paris** **.**

The battle was declared officially over by about mid-afternoon, though a couple of Vincent squadrons were still searching the city for any remaining holdouts on the ground whilst a squad of Gareths watched the sky. Their victory had not come cheap however: Paris was utterly ruined, going from a bright city of romance to something akin of a bomb field. Astonishingly, the Alexanders themselves had contributed little to the destruction, that responsibility belonged to the bombs that were dropped before they were sent in. Going from what the aftermath data showed, it was likely their intended target had been the numerous outposts dotted around the streets in order to lessen reinforcements and sew confusion. However, the posts were surrounded on all sides by the magnificent buildings of Paris and so when the EU dropped their bombs, the larger buildings took the hit instead. The offset of this lucky break though was that many of Paris' beautiful structures were now piles of rubble.

And the count of civilian losses was still being tallied.

That, more than anything else, was what was gnawing in the back of Lelouch's mind as his make-up crews flitted about him, preparing him for his speech to the world from Paris's government building; it too had taken a hit but had mostly survived. Somewhat fittingly, the Press Briefing room had been destroyed which gave Lelouch the perfect backdrop for his speech.

Finally declared ready, he made his way to the ruined section of the building, not heeding his staff's concerned warnings, and took his place at the charred podium that they had salvaged from the wreckage. Before him stared cameras from every news team in Britannia and a few they'd collected over their campaigns in Europe, ensuring this message would get out to everyone he wanted it to reach.

"Ten seconds, Your Majesty." One operator waved, to which he nodded and unconsciously straightened out his pilot suit one more time. His costume designers had asked him to change out of it multiple times into his royal ensemble but he'd turned them down; this was the man they needed to see right now, not a ruler who watched from afar but a soldier who'd seen it first hand.

And that was the image he intended to sell the very second his operators waved again to signal they were live.

"I speak to every citizen of Britannia today, and also the entire world." He began, placing a hand over his heart and adding just the right inflection of sorrow in his tone to be believable. "This morning I journeyed to the Special Zone of France to meet with diplomats from the former power known as Europia United in hopes of discussing a fair and reasonable agreement on the return of their lands to them. What I found upon my arrival however," and here he let his hand tighten ever so slightly around the fabric of the pilot suit, giving the impression of the pain he felt within, "was a city under siege, in which many unknowing citizens lost their lives. An attack orchestrated by the very people I had intended to treat with!"

A fist clenched to show his anger, a brief pause to let the news teams begin playing the footage of the bombs dropping on an unsuspecting city. Just as he and his PR Department had designed it. "This morning, the city of Paris, who my people came to love so dearly they would never dream of harming her, was savagely assaulted by bloodthirsty tyrants who dare to call themselves a democracy!"

Another pause to let the scene snap to Paris in the aftermath, "Where was the people's voice in this, I ask you? What democratic vote allowed for the wholesale slaughter of men, women and children?! And not only did Paris suffer this fate," a half-second pause to let the screen flip through to other scenes of destruction and death, "all the European Special Zones have received this treatment: In Spain, the beautiful city of Madrid lies in ruins; Belgium's capital of Brussels now faces a dictatorship the likes of the former emperor Charles's regime; the varied multicultural Luxembourg threatens to lose all her colours; and Portugal may now lose its artful identity."

"The EU has made their decision perfectly clear!" Lelouch barked, swiping his right arm to the side in a wide arc. "They want their lands back and are willing to sink to any depth low enough to get them, even if it means killing their own countrymen!" There was no need to act out rage here, now he truly was speaking from the heart. "I accept that the wars instigated by my late father have left many people with fear and distrust in Britannia, it is a legacy that I wade through every day!"

His voice then dimmed and his arms dropped to his side as he closed his eyes and continued. "I had wanted to bring us all together in peace, however..." His eyes suddenly shot wide open again, no more an angered leader but a cold and ruthless soldier staring into each and every camera lens causing several crews to shudder at that amethyst glare. "If the EU so desires a war over the peace that I would grant them, so be it."

"Therefore, at this hour, half-past two in the afternoon, on this day, June the second, in this year 2018 Ascensio Thronum Britannia, I hereby declare war on the remnant faction of Europia United!" With that, he had frozen the world again. The White Emperor who so far only defended was finally about to go on the attack, just as he'd designed. "I will sweep away this final shadow of a degraded and obsolete yesterday and open the path to our shining greater tomorrow!"

"All Hail Britannia!"

* * *

 **Special Administrated Zone of Japan,** **Tokyo Crater,** ** _Ikaruga_ bridge.**

The core group of the Black Knights, as well as the bridge crew, all sat in stunned silence as they took in the words of their former leader. Ironically, the bridge operators who knew nothing of the deceit that ran through their ranks at the moment were gossiping to one another how the emperor reminded them of Zero with his dramatic speeches and hand actions. It would be quite the scene if they ever learned the two were one and the same.

For the rest however, they just didn't know what to say. Lelouch had declared war on the EU, and unlike every other war Britannia had fought against them in the last decade he'd made a point to show how justified he was in this action. After showing what they'd done to Paris, never mind other cities in Europe, there was nothing anyone would dare to say to stop him.

It was Tamaki who summed it up best in his unique brand of eloquence: "The EU is officially fucked." A crude way of putting it maybe, but it was still a very precise summary of the situation. No one wanted to admit it (except maybe one or two), everyone present knew how this was going to end: Lelouch would win this war, and he would do so in such a way that Europia United would never rise again. Even if he was shaping up to be their enemy, there was no questioning his skills as a strategist.

As for Kallen, she hadn't intended to stick around to see whatever it was her comrades were looking at this time, she'd only come up to the bridge to collect her pass from Kaguya so she could go looking for her mother. She looked a bit out of place in her civilian attire but the moment she'd heard Lelouch's voice she had been spellbound as she was whenever he gave a speech. A short glance over at the chairwoman told her that the young politician was the same, though probably for different reasons. Not that she could blame her, because that pilot suit hid nothing and damn if Lelouch hadn't filled out over the last month!

The two commanding officers however wore equally grim expressions as they turned to glance at one another and nodded: It was just as they'd expected, the last days of the EU had come.

His speech even got a reaction out of the unflappable Rakshata, though for quite different reasons to the others. Partway through the speech, the footage cut to recordings of the battle in Paris itself and focussed on one machine in particular doing battle with spindly framed machines that had to be the EU's Knightmare equivalent. And it sent equal feelings of shock, awe, and terror into the hearts of everyone present - bridge crew included - when after it single-handedly defeated a team of those machines, it lifted up into the air and utterly decimated the European reinforcements with just one shot.

No one wanted to believe what they were seeing, but at the same time they had no choice but to see it. After all, it was pretty hard not to recognise the Absolute Defence Field and the 'Zero' Beam.

"Shinkiro!" Rakshata cried out, falling from her couch and dropping to her knees at the sight of one of her 'children' being used in this fight. But her shock turned to fury when the footage cut to the black Knightmare suddenly activating a pair of green particle blades for close range combat. "Lloyd...damn you Pudding Earl!" She screamed for all her worth, forcing everyone to cover their ears. "It wasn't enough for you to rape my Guren! No! You just had to go and violate my dear Shinkiro as well! Damn you! When I get my hands on you I swear they will be wringing around your neck!"

* * *

 **Secret base in Brazil.**

From their secluded location, Schneizal watched the broadcast of his brother's declaration alongside Cornelia and their Knights of the Round. Just a little glance around the room told him all he needed to know about his supporters' reactions to Lelouch's speech: they were either anxious, angered, or short of saying 'do your worst' to the screen. He however couldn't help a small smile as he observed his little brother's typical response to such a pointless and, in the long run, harmless strike on just a few cities.

 _I wonder Lelouch, can you see the big picture? Do you know what I have planned for you and your Britannia? Or is this the same little brother who always lets his pride get in the way of reason?_ Either way it didn't matter, because even if Lelouch realised what it was he was doing, the youngster now had no choice but to march forward into war. Such was the weakness of being viewed as a warrior for the people.

Stage one of his plan was officially complete.

"Well place your bets." He allowed himself to joke when the broadcast ended, "How long does everyone think the EU will hold out before they are utterly decimated?"

His blase comment took everyone off guard, to the extent that Monica Kruszewski actually fainted whilst Gino and Suzaku stared at him in utter bewilderment. Even Cornelia and Diethard hadn't expected him to say something so utterly off kilter. About the only one who hadn't been shaken from his question, besides Anya, was Kanon who just rolled his eyes at his Prince in fond exasperation.

"What?" Was he not allowed to make a joke every now and again?

* * *

 **Brussels**

The occupation of Brussels went almost without a hitch, though Wizard attributed that mostly to his command than Britannia actually having anything that could threaten them. He'd taken up residence in the government bureau which he'd all but threatened the soldiers under his command not to destroy lest they wanted their lives cut short and had been hoping to get some rest in when one of his subordinates barged in and told him to turn on the T.V.

What he was treated to was the sight of Paris in ruins, Madrid not much better, and Luxembourg, Portugal and Brussels lumped in there as well. All the while the voice of that twice damned kid carrying over it all, and then returning to him where he stood decked out in a Knightmare pilot suit that had clearly seen recent use. In that moment it was made clear to Wizard that they had grievously underestimated Lelouch as he showed the footage of a monster of a machine that destroyed the Paris occupation force with just one shot.

 _Dammit, Smilas!_ He was seething inside, so much that he almost missed the emperor declare war on the EU. _We weren't prepared for this! He's completely turned our attack around in his favour and painted us as the villains!_ Worst of all they couldn't even retaliate with their own speech saying that they'd been trying to take out the military outposts, who would believe that with all the 'proof' that the attack had been nothing short of terrorism?

Damn that Schneizal! This was all his doing, Wizard was sure of it! He was the one who gave them the locations, he was the one who made everyone think Lelouch was weak, he was the one who suggested the whole damn operation! _Was this what he wanted? For Lelouch to declare war against us?_

If so, then through Smilas and his desire for victory over Britannia and domination in Europe, Schneizal had just sounded the death knell for Europia United.

* * *

 **Munich,** **Thought Elevator**

From her post in the Thought Elevator, a black-through-pink haired individual who had the form of a young woman could not help but smile with her pink eyes at what she saw happening in the world. The young man who she had chosen so long ago had moved forward onto the next stage. He was finally ready.

"Well then," the Dimensional Supervisor murmured to herself. "I do believe it's time we met."

* * *

 **Paris, _Avalon_**

Arthur would be lying if he said he wasn't a bit ticked off at how the battle ended. Not that he wasn't glad that it was over so quickly but couldn't His Majesty have at least hinted at what he was going to do before giving him and half of the Paris detachment a heart attack? Well in the end he supposed it didn't matter as he'd been picked up by the transport the Emperor had sent him and was brought straight to the _Avalon_ just as the battle was concluded.

In many ways that made up for him not being allowed to do his duty, it was more than an honour to be standing on this ship - not only the first airship ever in the world, but His Majesty's own personal flagship! - to be honest Arthur was amazed he hadn't started squealing with glee. He'd managed to hold it together though as he was guided through to the ship's technical wing where many an engineer was currently staring up at a screen with pride and intrigue. On it were three machines riding forth, one that Arthur immediately recognised as His Majesty's personal Knightmare, though the other two eluded him. They weren't the Centurion models that answered directly to the Emperor, both of them were unique, and that in itself led Arthur to suspect that these machines were the first new Knights of the Round.

 _Well about time._ He thought to himself. _His Majesty deserves swords that are loyal to him and the empire, not that traitorous Schneizal._ It still irked him that the former Rounds had just abandoned their duty like that, who did they think they were, shirking Britannia like that?!

"A-ha~!" A sing song voice spoke up behind him, "Do I detect a lust for deadly machinery?"

Turning around Arthur felt himself go immediately ramrod straight as the famous Earl Lloyd Asplund and his immediate second, Colonel Cecile Croomy, both pioneers in the development of military science and technology, stood right behind him. Without thinking about it, he immediately saluted them.

Seeing this response however, Earl Asplund sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Oh no," he muttered, "not another one."

 _Another one?_ Did the man have something against regulations? Colonel Croomy came to his rescue with an apologetic smile, "Please, there's no need for ceremony. Lloyd's never been a fan of it."

"Er...okay?" He replied uncertainly, slowly dropping his hand to his side.

"Now, Mr Calhoun," she continued, "Do you know why His Majesty sent you here?"

To be perfectly honest, he didn't have a clue. His Majesty had told him there was a new machine waiting for him but he could easily get a new Gloucester from the barracks. It wasn't like they were under attack anymore. But that wouldn't do as a response to His Majesty's leading scientists so he gave them as good an answer he could. "I think I'm here to collect a new machine?" He couldn't help shrugging.

His response got a little laugh out of the Earl who winked at him behind his glasses. "Well, yes and no." He allowed, his smile stretching wider, which only served to confuse Arthur further.

"You see," Croomy explained, "His Majesty was observing your battle with the EU's Wyvern squad and decided you were the best candidate for our newest Knightmare Frame design. It's still in the test phase so we needed an adequate pilot to break it in."

Her explanation made Arthur blink, as well as hold back the indignant feeling that was building up in his chest. The Emperor pulled him away from the battlefield just so he could run some tests on a new toy? Surely there was something else he could be doing. However, if it was the command of His Majesty then far be it for a lowly Private to try to change his mind.

Mentally sighing at his lot in life, Arthur asked, "What machine did you want me to try?"

He barely finished the sentence before Earl Asplund pushed passed the Colonel, "Right this way." He 'offered' before grabbing the poor boy by the arm and dragging him along passed the rows of Vincents and Gareths to a special berth. There was a Knightmare docked there, but that was all Arthur could make of it as it was covered with a brown tarpaulin with the designation 'IFX-Z03' printed on it - the only thing he could make of it was that the thing was big. Stopping in front of it, Lloyd waved his hand towards the berth. "Here it is!"

"A...giant tarp?" The Private asked, mildly beginning to fear for his life. Why wouldn't this guy stop smiling?

But the Earl just nodded excitedly. "That's right, Arthur Calhoun! A giant tarp!"

"Lloyd!" Croomy snapped at him, exasperated, before turning her focus to Arthur, "That is our newest machine, it only just arrived along with Sir Bishop a couple of hours ago."

At that name drop, Arthur's whole world stopped. He knew of William Bishop, hell everyone knew of the man who Emperor Lelouch had praised as a true Knight of the Rounds and double knighted him as the new Knight of One. But if he was the one who delivered this then... "Does that mean...is this thing a...?" He didn't dare say it.

"Correctamundo!" Asplund finished for him though, joyfully unaware of his baffled state, "Our latest Ninth Generation Knightmare Frame! A machine fit for the new Knights of the Round!"

A weapon of the Knights of the Round...this had to be a dream. There was no way that Arthur Calhoun, of all people, was being offered what he was almost certain he was. "But those machines are piloted by Knights of the Round _only."_ Even for testing, so only they would know how best to utilise their own individual machines. "Are you saying that...that I would be...?"

Earl Asplund nodded happily, his hand going into his lab coat and pulling out an activation key. "Congratulations! You, my friend, have just been made the fourth new Knight of the Round!"

And with that, Arthur's legs gave out and he dropped to the floor on his bottom. His mind had gone blank save for those last words. A Knight of the Round? Him? His Majesty had seen fit to grant him that honour? It just didn't compute.

"Oh my," he just made out Asplund's voice somewhere above him, "I think we broke him. I haven't seen a reaction like that since Monica's fainting spell when she made Twelve, remember Cecile?"

He vaguely made out a reprimand but his mind was still on Cloud Nine. It was a miracle he could make out anything at all when Colonel Croomy knelt down beside him, smiling at him. "I realise this is a lot to take in." She told him gently, "If you want to take some time to think it over I'm sure His Majesty will-"

"I'll do it." And apparently now his own mouth was out of his control, though frankly he was sure if his brain wasn't currently scrambled he'd give the same answer. All his life, Arthur had wanted to serve and protect the empire and when he entered the military he did so with that goal in mind. First, it was in service to Emperor Charles who deemed the bloody wars in Europe to be correct, and then it was in service to Emperor Lelouch where he guarded their empire's newest subjects with all of his being (if asked, Arthur knew exactly which service he would say he preferred). And now, his loyalty to the crown was being rewarded in a way that he had never even dared to dream of reaching! How could he ever say no?

His simple answer seemed to do it for Asplund who grinned happily at him and dropped the activation key in his lap. "Excellent!" He crowed happily, "Now we can get some real science done!"

The dull tinkle of the key landing in his lap served to finally reboot Arthur's mind as he pushed himself back off the ground and onto his feet. "You said I was the fourth." He recalled the mad Earl's earlier statement. "I know about Sir Bishop, but who're the other two?"

The Earl and the Colonel glanced at each other for a second before the former shrugged and the latter nodded. Colonel Croomy fielded the answer for them both, "We only really know one of them, Lady Cinder Fall, the new Knight of Two." She explained, "She's not here right now though, His Majesty sent her to the Netherlands to retake one of our airbases. There's honestly not a lot to say about the other one, he arrived here with Sir Bishop before heading out as well a little while later." She shrugged at her own lacking information, "That's all I can say really."

Arthur nodded at that, grateful that he at least knew a little bit of his new comrades. Inside though, he was holding back the little boy who played knights and dragons with his friends from bursting out of him. Three other Rounds! _Oh Bismarck and those pretenders had better watch themselves now!_ One true knight was worth five fakes, Round or no, and there were now four of them, ready to do and die for King and Country!

Speaking of whom. "I saw His Majesty's Knightmare." He told them, "What's it called?"

"Ah, _Shinkiro Imperium_."Asplund recalled, doing so with a sly smirk on his face. "A little improvement of mine on a severely lacking machine. But enough about that, how about I introduce you to your new friend?" And he waved his hands up at a couple of technicians who were stood on the service walkway of this particular berth. Seeing his signal, they pulled at the ropes holding the tarpaulin in place and the whole thing came tumbling down, revealing the new Knightmare Frame beneath it.

And Arthur's legs threatened to give out on him again.

"Sir Arthur Calhoun." Earl Asplund introduced him. "Meet the _Reaper._ Don't scratch the paint."

 **#  
** #

#  
And we're here! First many of you were confused with last part of previous chapter. Well it was _Omake-_ in two words humorous scene. I will write them sometime, but this chapter without it.

1\. Lelouch now can fight, and how you had read not bad. _Shinkiro Imperium-_ _is basically the same_ _Shinkiro_ just upgraded and now his shields work automatically all time when he doesn't use other weapon.

2\. EuroBritannia collapsed.

3\. Arthur Calhoun my new OC who alredy knight of the round.

And I think that is all.


	6. True Knights of the Round

**June 3, 2018,** **Netherlands, Britannian Air Base.**

Ashley was not a happy man right now, in the last twenty-four hours his concerns regarding the ease of taking the Britannian base had proved to be more than just paranoia or boredom: there was nothing of value to be taken for the EU, technicians and other experts had scoured what was there and concluded none of it worth their efforts, what was left was only really worthwhile with airplanes which had become obsolete once Britannia had taught their Knightmares how to fly. It had thus been concluded that everything of value - if there had been any to begin with - had been shipped out well in advance before the EU had been anywhere near the base.

 _In short, our 'historic' victory ended up giving us nothing but this stupid spit of land!_ Ashley thought to himself, scowling in barely concealed rage.

The bad news only kept coming when their commanders learned that the retaking of the capital, Paris, had ended in absolute failure. Rumours had even been running about that the White Emperor himself had been there and destroyed their forces with only one shot (no one had seen the news on T.V. yet). What was known to be a fact however, was that Emperor Lelouch had declared war on the EU and all of Britannia was gearing up to finish what they started under Emperor Charles.

 _And now everyone's running around like chicken-shits, checking their nearest shadow._ The leader of Asura Team thought to himself spitefully as he and his comrades continued to watch the sea from a small pocket of trees to the north of the base, command was terrified that an amphibious assault would be coming their way soon. But the ocean before them was calm, the horizon filled with nothing but sky and clouds whilst the sun shone up above.

"Its quiet out there." Ashley hissed, mostly to himself, out of boredom. If the empire had declared war then the very least they could do was hurry it up and get here so he could kill them!

On his right, sitting outside his Knightmare with the rest of the team (Ashley was the only one in his machine), Rene replied to his statement in a low voice. "Almost...too quiet."

His unusual tone caught more than just one member their team's attention, Ashley himself guffawing at the obvious line whilst Simon asked, "What's with the cliche there, Rene?"

Their shy member shrugged, colouring a little at being caught. "Just trying to be cool, y'know like those guys in the movies."

His response just set the others off, mostly scoffing, whilst Kuzan who was lying on the grass in the open sun said lazily "You realise we're just extras in this story right?" He asked, glancing their way, "We're just here to give the important people someone to talk to slash shoot at."

"What was that?" Rene asked, but the others just waved off the comment.

"Don't mind him," Alan told his friend, "Baldy's just spent a little too much time out in the sun." Now that he mentioned it, Kuzan's head was starting to turn an interesting shade of red.

After the chuckles generated from his statement died down, Alan returned to the more serious matter. "Maybe we should head back," he suggested, noting the silent scenery surrounding them, "we've been here, what, about five hours? If Britannia were going to come from the sea they would be here by now."

His statement got a series of agreeing grunts, prompting Franz to get up from his seat on the ground and walk over to Red Ogre so he was in range of its BRS. "Hey Ashley! The guys're right, nothings coming this way." He called up to him. "C'mon, boss, everyone's getting tired. Let's call it a day and head home."

Ashley didn't immediately respond, his bad feeling about everything related to this mission still very strong in him. It didn't make sense, why make a base utterly worthless and let it be taken if the reason was not to immediately rush back in and retake it? It wasn't like Britannia lacked resources or weapons and, though chicken shits, command was right in assuming this would be the right direction to head in to avoid European fire. So why was it taking so long?!

 _They must be out there!_ His mind nagged to him, and he absolutely agreed with it. But another look at the horizon and those still waters where not even a fishing boat was present said different. Something was very wrong here, but unfortunately he couldn't just go off on feelings alone.

So, against his better judgement, Ashley sighed and turned his Alexander around. "Alright guys, we'll get someone else to keep an eye out."

His answer was met with his whole team letting out happy cheers which were followed by them all leaping for their Gloucesters before he could change his mind. _Lazy bastards._ He rolled his eyes at them, knowing he wouldn't have his guys any other way. "Come on then, you slackers! Let's go home!"

With many a 'yes sir,' a couple of 'amens' and one line from Rene that was so horrendously cheesy that this author refuses to type it, Asura Team's machines came to life and all then proceeded to leave their post.

Though maybe if they'd looked out one more time towards the sky, they would have caught sight of one single unit headed straight for them.

* * *

Agitation was the order of the day for all the EU forces camped out in their revealed-to-be-useless base, after Emperor Lelouch's declaration of war the day before everyone was simply waiting for the hammer to fall. They were just a stone's throw away from France, it was more than an obvious decision to attack them. And so ever since Lelouch's broadcast everyone had been doing everything they could to turn their worthless little scrap of land into the most defensive worthless scrap of land in the history of warfare.

The commander of this ill fated occupation was now scanning through a map of the surrounding geography, hoping to find any sort of advantage they could give their Panzers, they had too few Alexanders to hope that they could win the day this time. Especially if Britannia sent their new Knight of One to mop them up.

His frantic searching disguised as tactical perusing was put on indefinite hold when a communications officer spoke up from his seat. "Sir! Asura Team is requesting a return to base from the northern watch."

For a second the commander felt like denying them purely out of spite. He had little love for Britannians and even less for Euro Britannians, as for Euro Britannians who betrayed their own people...well that was just asking for trouble down the line. But at the same time he also recognised quality when he saw it, in both machines and soldiers, and as much as it irked him to admit it Asura Team easily outclassed everyone else on the field except for maybe Wyvern Squad.

So if they wanted a rest, the bastards knew they could get one. Gritting his teeth, the commander nodded shortly. "Fine. Tell them to come in."

"Sir?" His immediate second in command spoke up, "But what if Britannia chooses to attack us from the north? We'll have no early warning."

 _Which was why I stuck that damn kid and his fellow turncoats out there!_ The commander snarled in his head without letting it show outwardly. Instead he shook his head and zoomed the map out of their location the countries surrounding the Netherlands were visible. "We have a full battalion massing in the west, and reports that Belgium is ours have been confirmed so we have that as a buffer for the time being." He said this all with confidence he didn't truly feel. "If Britannia wants to get at us, they have to go through that first and I'm told that one of our brightest is commanding there. We'll be fine."

 _Of course we'd be better if we had an eye on our exposed northern flank!_ But yelling that out would do him little good. Nor would he have time to think about how little a difference it would have made either.

As the commander finished his latest scathing monologue about Asura Team, the whole building suddenly shook violently in response to a heavy impact outside. The command team were thrown about in their seats whilst those unfortunate to be standing up were almost thrown off their feet. Bracing himself against the tactical board, the commander threw his gaze around to the communications team. "What the hell was that?!"

"A-a Knightmare, sir!" One of the operators replied, teeth still rattling from the shock wave as he worked. "It just came out of nowhere, we didn't even see it on radar!"

 _Shit! A new model._ Or just really fast. Either way it was a himself out, the commander turned his attention to the large front screen in front of him. "Get a visual," he ordered, "where is it?"

"It landed on the runway, sir. We'll have an image in a moment."

Anxiety waged with fear as the commander waited for the screen to light up with a picture of what was going to be the first opponent of what was sure to be a long line of additional forces coming their way. _If they've sent just one machine ahead it must be unique with an ace at the helm. Which means Bishop._

When the screen finally did turn on with the outside world, the Knight of One suddenly became a much more welcome prospect as the command staff of the EU, as well as the soldiers on the ground, came face to face with an old menace. The hearts of the collective command staff leapt up into their throats as the dust cleared to reveal the machine in front of them, the commander himself almost falling to his knees at the sight of it.

"Not that..." he whispered hoarsely, "anything but that..."

"It can't be..." one of the officers whimpered, terror beginning to fill the ranks. "...Lancelot."

* * *

There was no mistaking that design, many of the soldiers here had come across the so-called 'White Reaper' during the war and to this day were still amazed that they lived through the encounter. Evidently their time hadn't come yet, as once more the machine of their nightmares had returned. They were all so caught in their fear that they missed the differences in this Knightmare to the one they knew: this one had a more slender build with thinner legs and more stylised forearms; the colouring was also different, the torso was painted in a pure white whilst the arms were in blood red and the legs a solid black; even the head of this model was different, with a more stylised helmet than the original Lancelot's and a longer rear stalk, coloured in the same red of the arms with two bright amber eyes. About the only thing that wasn't changed was the float system on its back which was the same model as the normal Britannian units.

With the command staff petrified by this new arrival, the captain of a team of Panzers took it upon himself to act as security and immediately surrounded it with all nine of his squad. The machine didn't react to their movements, which some of the European pilots took to be a good sign the unspoken hope running through them that this machine was Suzaku Kururugi come to help them fight against Britannia. There was no love lost for him amongst the soldiers of Europe but, with him branded a traitor and their own territories falling away, people couldn't be picky.

The silence stretched on for a few seconds until the captain folded first and established an open channel with the Knightmare. "Attention pilot of the unknown Britannian Knightmare Frame, this is territory of Europia United. State your name, affiliation, and your reasons for coming here." He did his best to hide his fears but the tremor in his voice still came through.

His demands finally got a reaction from the Lancelot lookalike as it turned to stare directly at his exact unit, prompting the other Panzers to edge back cautiously - he could imagine his subordinates double checking their locks on the potential enemy in front of them - and the captain himself felt a shiver run down his spine.

And at last the pilot spoke. "My name?"

Those two words sank any hopes the Europeans had. Not because the voice on the open communication was as cold as ice, but because it was clearly a woman talking and not the very male voice of the former Knight of Seven. Which could mean only one thing...

"Open fire!" The captain yelled out, firing his own Panzer's weapons first, terror clouding everything else. The other eight immediately followed suit, emptying their weapons' ammunition into the enemy machine, kicking up a cloud of dust the more they fired.

"Don't let it get those damned shields up!" The captain yelled to his soldiers, "If we can do that, this monster'll go down quick!"

The cloud got larger and larger as round after round slammed into the Knightmare until it was impossible to make out the figure on their screens. Quite frankly though that just scared the soldiers more, causing them to increase their rate of fire rather than slow down; more than a few times before the real Lancelot had used that to its advantage to destroy entire European battalions with ease. No one in the little team of nine wanted to see if this new model was even half that good.

They didn't let up until their weapons ran dry, not a single pilot heeding the calls coming in from command to demand what the hell they thought they were doing. Nothing was more important to them than making sure this beast died before it could cut them down, however they'd done all they could. Now all they could do was wait.

One second passed. Then five. And finally the dust began to settle again...

Revealing, to the team's horror, a silhouette of a Knightmare standing perfectly still, an orange glow finally cutting through the clouds to reveal a system of energy shields similar to the real Lancelot's, however they overlapped each other to create one impenetrable wall. Not even one single Panzer round had struck it.

 _Oh God in Heaven..._ The captain had that much time to pray before the tri-coloured machine went on the offensive, raising one of its arms and firing a slash harken right through one of his troops. All he made out on the comm was a strangled cry for help before the connection went silent, his IFF replaced with the dreaded [LOST] icon. His one death set off the others, who fired with refilled weapons at the new terror, anger holding back fear for the moment.

But it was only for a moment. The machine finally started moving, weaving in and out of the shots as if its pilot could see them ahead of schedule and plan accordingly, all the while coming closer to its pray. As it advanced, the Knightmare's arms reached back and drew its MVS's - somewhat longer than the standard, omitting a dark purple blade once powered up rather than red. And the moment it got in range the machine began a familiar deadly dance, cutting through the first Panzer as if it were butter.

The remaining Panzers backed off, still firing, though that shield wall just rose up in defence as they did. From behind the safety of that wall, the pilot was able to answer the captain's previous question. "My name," she declared, icily soft, "is Cinder Fall, Second Knight of the Round Table of the Holy Britannian Empire!"

Any sort of hope suddenly drained away to be replaced with desperate terror - Britannia had another new Knight of the Round?!

But the identified knight was far from finished as she dropped the shield and started weaving towards them again. "My affiliation? Well," she laughed coldly at them all, "I suppose you've already guessed. And my mission?" Her machine suddenly put on a burst of speed, bringing her up close to the nearest Panzer which she immediately sliced through.

"My mission is to wipe you Euro trash from the face of the Earth."

* * *

 **Metz.** **The border between France and Germany**

Across the map, similar reports soon reached EU command that Britannia had launched their counterattack and now every line in the sand that led into Germany had soon found itself under attack. They didn't immediately fold though, what forces still existed from the initial attack on Paris had been redirected to reinforce the attacking forces of the outlying French cities which only had Sutherlands and Gloucesters garrisoned. However, Emperor Lelouch's declaration had fired up the anger of the soldiers so when the European forces did engage them it was not with the element of surprise.

Britannia had time to set up the welcome mat for the EU in the form of hellfire and fury.

The aging Panzers went down with little trouble, these were the types of machines the Sutherland model and its close range counterpart had been made for after all. It was the Alexanders that posed a potential worry, their speed and transformable capability making them deadly at close range. That said, though, they lacked in Metz what they'd had in Paris: tight quarters.

As the EU had been anticipated, the Britannian garrison was able to cut them off outside of the town in the countryside, where it was wide open with little cover. By forcing them into a two-dimensional battle, the Alexanders' speed lost out to the lines of Sutherlands, whilst the Gloucesters got up close and did away with the Panzers.

On its own the battle was clearly tipping towards victory for Britannia, but anyone who knew that empire knew that they didn't leave things to chance. A tradition even its newest emperor had chosen to follow as one ill-fated Panzer squad was about to find out when their scanners picked up the signal of a new unit quickly approaching from the sky. The poor men and women didn't even have time to call out a warning before the new addition landed right in front of them.

It was no small stretch to say that the new Knightmare Frame was huge, possibly bigger than even the Gareths, featuring a gold and grey colour scheme with features that hearkened back to Bismarck Waldstein's Galahad and even its brother unit, the infamous Gawain. This distinction came through on its black head where it sported the same two 'dog-ear' antennas of its ancestor, while the face itself was painted a pure white with two purple eyes. On its back it sported a float system from the Gareth's design, coloured black.

For armaments it utilised the traditional and romanticised 'sword-and-shield' style, with a golden double-bladed sword in its right hand and a massive purple shield in its left. Weapons that it now put into use on the European machines it had landed in front of, bashing the front one with its shield which sent it crashing into the two behind it, and then immediately charging forward and stabbing through all three of them at once with its sword.

Horrified, the enemy troops immediately pulled away from it, while the Britannian forces regarded the newcomer with surprise and concern. Any suspicion of the new Knightmare's allegiance was washed away however when one Sutherland pilot noticed the sword-hilt emblem on the machine's left shoulder. "That mark...it's Lord Bishop!" He shouted jubilantly, recognising the mark of the Knights of the Round, "The Knight of One has come!"

If the Europeans weren't scared before, now they were certifiably terrified as Emperor Lelouch's most powerful warrior turned on an open channel, not bothering to hide his identity from his enemies. "Soldiers of Britannia!" He barked out loud. "I am taking command of this garrison! Our objective is simple: the total destruction of the European invaders who dare to bring war to our citizens!"

As the Britannian soldiers let out an agreeing yell, William switched to a private channel, "Now, split into two divisions. First division spread out and hammer them with everything you have! Second division circle around and cut off their retreat! Do not suffer a single one of them to live!"

When he saw that his troops were already doing as ordered he switched the channel back to an open line. "Now destroy them! All Hail Britannia!"

"All Hail Lelouch!" The Britannians finished before launching at their enemy with all the power they had.

 _A little basic maybe._ William thought to himself as he watched the first team go to work as he'd instructed, disguising their flanking manoeuvre as the second group came around. _But for these poorly prepared Europeans, nothing I can't handle. Nice to see war hasn't changed that much during my incarceration._

"Well then." He said out loud, activating his machine's float system and once again allowing himself to be amazed at how far technology had come, before focusing his efforts once again on the battle ahead. "Show this old war dog your tricks, Uther!"

* * *

 **Saint Dié des Vosges forest.**

Reports from command soon came in that the Knights of the Round had engaged the European forces on the edges of France and so far all appeared to be going well. As for the newest Round, he sat anxiously in his new machine surrounded on all sides by Vincent Wards who had been put under his direct command.

Arthur was nervous, there was no escaping it. His Majesty had placed him in charge of a recovery operation almost immediately after giving his declaration to the world; the recapture of Saint Dié des Vosgues as soon as possible. For the new Knight of Four it was a daunting task, he'd been a private only the day before, what did he know about leading people into battle? He'd wanted to point this out, but the firm commands of His Majesty stayed his tongue.

So here he sat, in his ninth generation Knightmare, Reaper, waiting alongside soldiers who would live and die by his order. _That's going to take some getting used to._

Another thing he'd have to get used to was the new title he'd gotten along with that of Knight of Four as a lone Vincent - a scout who'd gone up ahead - contacted him on his radio. "Lord Calhoun."

It still felt weird being called that but Arthur just shook it off and did his best not to sound unnerved. "Yes? What is it?"

"Sensors show the enemy has entered the forest," The scout reported, "they'll pass by our location in a few minutes. Your orders?"

 _Orders?_ Now there was something he _certainly_ wasn't ready to dish out. Giving orders belonged to commanders and generals, not privates who were simply going on the fly. However, Arthur was now here and he had no choice. His Majesty had entrusted him with power and this new machine to use properly in the defence of the innocent, even if the one he'd chosen still didn't quite feel if all of this was real. There was nothing to do now but to try not to screw it up.

So, once again he tried - and in his honest opinion Arthur believed he failed - to sound authoritative and started to give his suggestions. "I guess we ought to head over there then. Cut them off before they can escape."

His uncertainty clearly came through in the wording, but you wouldn't know it from the soldiers around him as they immediately replied with a crisp 'Yes, My Lord!' and moved to intercept the Europeans. Arthur could only watch them go and sigh before silently accepting his new lot in life and activated his Knightmare's special feature.

As a machine, the Reaper was amongst the rarer models saved only for the truly exceptional, one of its predecessors being the personal unit of Euro Britannia's Shinn Hyuga Shaing - Vercingetorix. However, where that machine had exuded majesty and grace, its successor was a chilling opposite. The Reaper lived up to its namesake, the main body painted purple and its head styled in the form of a black hood that draped over a silver face, only showing the left eye that glowed an ominous red. On its back was holstered the only weapon the machine carried: a huge MVS that had been built in the form of a scythe.

The special feature that Arthur had activated also descended from Lord Shaing's machine: a high-speed mode similar to that of the EU's Alexanders. However, where they turned into ravaging insects, the legs of the Reaper pulled back to make way for a secondary pair of legs that had up till now been stored away and acting as rear skirt armour. The Reaper's cockpit also shifted location, moving down to lock into place in the negative space created by the four legs at hip level.

On the Vercingetorix, the image would have been that of a mythical centaur...but on the Reaper, whose main weapon had to be moved into its arms to enact the transformation, it looked like one of the riders of the apocalypse had come early.

Frankly though, Arthur didn't care what sort of image his Knightmare gave off as he used that form to quickly catch up with, and then overtake, his Vincent subordinates. And here, in the comfort of moving forward into battle, did he finally start to relax - this was where he belonged, this was what he was good at - and with that calm he found his confidence return to him.

 _Those damn Europeans will pay for their disgraceful actions!_ His face melted into a fierce scowl as the Reaper pulled further and further ahead of his allies, his attention focussed entirely on the red enemy IFFs on his screen. _And if I find those Wyvern bastards, all the better for me._

It soon became obvious that the EU group had spotted his approach as he was soon under fire from directly ahead, but that didn't deter him in the least. Rather it pushed him forward, his rage until now more or less held in check but with the ones responsible for the sacking of Paris right in front of him those emotions slipped free and he gnashed his teeth together as his eyes caught sight of the Alexanders in front of him - all of them orange.

 _Cannon fodder then. Fine by me!_ Putting on yet another burst of speed, Arthur brought the Reaper's scythe about and then cut a wide arch in front of him, slicing away the trees in his path and giving him a clear view of the enemy in front of him. Without giving them a moment's respite, he let out a loud roar and forced the Reaper forward into the air where it switched back to its normal mode and dropped down onto the Alexanders.

The scythe's silver blade found its target in the orange machine that he landed on, slicing the whole thing in half from head to hip, and before its comrades could do anything, Arthur brought the Reaper around and cleaved through another three. All the while, the new Knight of Four barely noticed anything had happened, his furious gaze seeking out any speck of navy blue. When he didn't see any he let out a vicious snarl - virtually unaware that the EU machines had surrounded him.

A moment later it didn't matter as the Vincents chose that moment to arrive and began peppering the enemy with rifle rounds, splitting the Alexander pilots' concentration. Forcing them back, one of the leaders of the two divisions called him. "Lord Calhoun, are you alright sir?"

But Arthur barely heard the question, his eyes focussed entirely on the Europeans as they tried to reorganise. The cowards who killed Hudson, "Kill them," who killed Perez and Cap, "kill them all." They weren't here today...but these bastards, the ones who dared to lay a hand on Paris, they were here.

"Wipe them out! For Paris!" He followed up his order by renewing his charge, the Reaper's scythe embedding into another Alexander's torso where he twisted the blade and then pulled up, ripping the pilot of the machine into pieces.

Once again, the Britannian soldiers showed no opinion or disgust in his actions, merely shouting 'Yes, My Lord!' and doing exactly as he ordered.

The battle, if it could even be called that to begin with, soon turned into a full out slaughter as the Reaper sailed through the ranks of the enemy and tore them to pieces showing not a shred of mercy. All retreats were cut off, all attempts to surrender ignored. In this moment, Arthur had truly become an angel of death.

And then finally, the colour he'd been looking for emerged; a navy blue Alexander, hidden away at the back of the orange machines' ranks, tried to turn tail and run from the fight in its high speed mode. If it had been a regular grunt Arthur wouldn't have bothered, but that blue made all the difference. Switching to his own high speed mode, he ran the blue Alexander down - the horselike figure more suited for the forest than the splayed out insect form - and ran his scythe through the back legs, rendering the commander immobile.

"Now where do you think you're going?" He asked the commander, though he was far from interested with any reply the European had. As it stood, he already had an answer. "I'll tell you exactly where you're going: Straight to Hell!"

There may have been some begging and screaming on an open channel as he slowly ran the tip of the Reaper's scythe through the cockpit of the enemy machine, but for the life of him Arthur didn't care. One moment there was babbling, a moment later there was static.

A glance over at the 'battle' behind him showed that the Alexanders were now doing all they could to get out of here. Unfortunately as their commander had just proved their transformed bodies offered very little in the way of escape. Not that Arthur was going to let them go anyway. Sending a message to his soldiers to get out of the way, he rammed the scythe's blade into the ground and rested the length of the pole on the Reaper's right arm while the left came up to stabilise it.

Finally, Arthur allowed himself to smirk as he remembered that insane Earl's explanation of the Reaper's main weapon and its little...surprise. _I have to hand it to Lloyd, he knows how to build mechanical monsters._ A new targeting computer descended over his eye, much in the same way as the sites on a sniper rifle and he lined up the target. _And monsters don't leave survivors._

With that thought, he pressed down on the control yokes which made the Reaper pull the hidden trigger on the scythe. Out from the head of the pole, now the muzzle of a giant gun, the vicious red stream of a Hadron Cannon erupted outward, decimating everything it came into contact with: Trees, stones, grass...and every single Alexander stupid enough to have their backs to him.

* * *

 **Netherlands. Britannian Air Base**

This was heaven. There was no other word Cinder could describe the feeling of her new Knightmare Frame zooming seamlessly from one enemy machine to the next, leaving wreckage and rubble - along with the odd blood spatter here and there - and she was hardly even using it to its full effect yet. It almost made her want to head back to Boston so she could tear up some more nobles in the Arena. Almost.

With the Panzer unit utterly destroyed, she turned her attention to the command centre where she could clearly imagine the command staff falling over each other trying to figure out how to stop her, after they'd soiled themselves of course. It brought a truly wicked smile to her face, she knew full well the reputation of this machine's traitorous ancestor, now it was her turn to start making a name for herself with blood and fire.

Her mind made up, Cinder stored her MVS away and pulled out her machine's primary weapon, the Super V.A.R.I.S. rifle - _seriously? 'Super VARIS?' Are we a military or a cartoon? -_ and took aim at the tower. Now she could just blast it at the center and watch it crumble away to nothing, crushing every man and woman in there as it went, but after that welcome committee she was now short on time. So Cinder had to opt for mass destruction as she activated the weapon's 'burst' mode, if it could even be called that.

The rifle's barrel split open, revealing a secondary emitter which sent chills down her spine; she'd seen these things in action, to have one at her command made her feel...truly powerful. Without wasting another second, she fired her rifle's Hadron Cannon and watched with glee as the command tower disappeared in the deadly red wave.

 _Damn..._ Cinder giggled to herself, barely noticing what surviving Panzers there were converging on her position. "Well that took a little longer than intended," she muttered though not at all annoyed as she glanced at her screen where her new favourite person was smirking back at her in a small box, "but I would say your plan went off without a hitch, Your Majesty."

"Did you ever doubt me?" Lelouch asked back, dressed in his usual imperial garb, and raising an eyebrow at her, "My queen (it took everything Cinder had not to blush at the title he'd taken to calling her), I conceived this splendid little war of ours long before we met." He reminded her, an evil smile of his own replacing his smirk. "And now with the groundwork completed, all I needed was something to set them off."

She nodded, remembering the plan as he'd laid it out to her before she and Bishop - along with that new guy - headed out. "Give them a little bit of hope, like say a diplomatic summit," she recounted, smirking at him knowingly - as if he'd ever intended to give a single speck of dirt back to the EU, "where they can launch an attack and capture you."

"Use their duplicity to demonize them in the eyes of society." He carried on.

"And then the White Emperor, the people's saviour, has just grounds to finish the EU once and for all." She finished for him, truly impressed with this charade Lelouch had pulled on the world. However her grin slipped a little as she remembered the one thing that hadn't gone to plan. "But, Majesty, you didn't count on them going for Paris right off the bat."

At her reminder, the emperor visibly drooped, his smile falling away. "Yes, I miscalculated there. I hadn't thought the EU had had enough time to mass produce the Alexander series. And as a result, Paris suffered." His somber image, bordering almost on morose, suddenly vanished then to be replaced by a sharp glare. "But that is the last time I let that happen!"

His declaration made, his visage calmed somewhat and he let out a small breath. "But we're getting off topic. The base should be completely empty now, all that's left will be our soldiers who stayed to fight the Europeans when they first attacked. We'll send in troops to collect them later. Once you're done there, link up with the Third Fleet and take command."

Cinder gave him a little smirk, knowing where this was going. "And then head to Amsterdam which we will proceed to take for ourselves," she recited at him, "after which we'll follow suit with Hamburg. Remind me, Majesty, who exactly came up with this plan?"

The young emperor suddenly showed his age with what she could only assume was his version of a pout. "Well it's not easy being emperor you know," He defended, almost sounding petulant, "and besides, I was busy in Paris. Anyway, by the time you've taken Hamburg, our forces should have taken Hanover..."

And with that he started going over more of their strategy which Cinder already knew having worked with him on this. She considered reminding him, again, that she knew all this but he could be pretty adorable when he turned on his thinking face. So she let him ramble on a bit longer until hearing him say, "...right now, finish up with the air base. Oh, by the way, Lloyd was asking, how do you like it?"

Even if she hadn't seen the sly look he sent her way Cinder wouldn't have been able to hide her joy at that mad scientist's work. "It. Is. GLORIOUS!" She abandoned all propriety to squeal her love for her new machine. "You said this thing was based on a new Lancelot model?"

"That's correct," he answered, chuckling a little at her previous statement, "Lloyd's been wanting to build that one for a while. I'll send him your regards."

"Please do." She would have said more but the Panzers had finally regrouped and were finally doing something other than cowering behind cover. A quick typing session on the keyboard sent up her Absolute Defence Field, stopping their weapons fire in its tracks. "Majesty, I'll have to call you later. Seems I've got a date."

"Just be back before midnight then," he replied, not missing a beat, "and don't do anything I wouldn't."

Giggling a little at their silly conversation, she nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty." And with that she cut their connection, finally focussing all her attention on the Europeans. Silly fools should have run when she wasn't bothered with them.

"C'mon then boys," she murmured, taking hold of her Knightmare's second Super VARIS and aiming both at the poor sods, "take a girl for a ride."

* * *

"That's odd." Ashley murmured, somewhat concerned. "Command isn't responding. I know those pricks don't like us but..." And then it struck him, the reason why communications would suddenly go dark could only mean one thing. Without another moment wasted, he hit Red Ogre's accelerator and sped ahead of Asura Team. "Everyone back to base, on the double!"

"Ashley!" Franz and the others called out to him, worried over his sudden shift, "What's wrong?"

"Something's happened at the air base!" He called back to them, noticing on the off hand that the rest of the team had sped up to match his pace. Allowing a moment of approval, he readied his machine for combat. "Be ready for the worst guys, I have a very bad feeling about this!"

His team responded to his warning seriously and immediately set about readying their Gloucesters' primary weapons. Ashley just hoped it would be enough, this whole thing stank of a trap. There was no way to know how many Britannians would be waiting for them or what sort of machines they'd be facing - the last thing he wanted was to come up against a Round right now, he'd been avidly praying to avoid those gods of battle.

All his worries would find themselves confirmed though when Asura Team came over the final rise and got a glimpse of the base below...or what was left of it.

"My God." Simon worded what everyone was thinking at the scene before them.

The command tower was gone - not destroyed, there would be wreckage for that, it seemed to have just blipped out of existence - and everything else was burning. Scattered around the rubble lay the remains of what was left of at least three Panzer-Hummel squads, carved up or melted in such a way that everyone of Ashley's team felt a chill go down their spines. It looked like an entire Britannian squadron had blitzed through here and then retreated.

However they would soon learn that was not the case as, somewhere in the distance within the confines of the base, the sound of gunfire began to ripple through their radios. And to be perfectly honest, Ashley wasn't sure if he was glad to know the enemy was still here. Still it was a sign that things hadn't ended yet and so they had no choice but to press on.

He led his team through the base cautiously, keeping an eye out for anything and all the while getting more and more worried. Though they could clearly hear battle, the fact was they still hadn't had a run in with any Britannian forces which told him the attacking force was small...and deadly. _Please not a Round, please not a Round!_

His wish would go unanswered though as they came around the next bend and laid their eyes on the horrific sight before them. Well over a dozen Panzers lay destroyed before them and at least that number again further away near a roaring inferno where only one machine still stood firing frantically into the smoke in front of him. Ashley tried to call out to him to get back, but the pilot was so taken by his fear and screaming his head off ("STAY AWAY YOU FUCKING MONSTER! YOU'RE NOT TAKING ME! NOT TAKING ME!") that it was unlikely he even heard the order. The screams of fear soon turned into static though as, through the fire and smoke in front of the poor fool, an ominous bloody red glow suddenly flickered into life.

It only took Asura Team a moment to realise what it was and Ashley yelled to immediately get back, and not a moment too soon. Just as they got out of the way the deadly stream of a Hadron Cannon pierced the black veil and consumed the lone Panzer.

"Shit." Rene muttered over the line. "If its Hadrons then that's gotta be a Gawain variant."

 _Oh that's just what we need to end this shitty day._ Ashley thought to himself irately, but then again it wasn't all bad. The Gawain had been notoriously slow, something that had carried over to its mass produced descendant, the Gareth. All they needed to do then was surround it and shower it with bullets.

 _Yeah, the Euros probably thought the same thing,_ a skeptical voice spoke up, _and look what happened there._

His pondering was all for nothing though as the machine in the flames finally showed itself, first only as a silhouette but that was still enough for all of Asura Team to realise that this was no new Gawain design. It was smaller for one thing, probably taller than their own machines by only half a meter or so, and was a lot thinner than anything they had seen before with wide spanning shoulder armour. Everything about the Knightmare before them was sending off alarm bells in Ashley's mind, as if he knew he should recognise this thing...and then he remembered that there was one Knightmare Frame that had used a Hadron Cannon that wasn't based on the Gawain. _Oh shit._

He was proved right when the machine finally stepped out of the smoke, eliciting a terrified response from the whole team. "No way!" Alan was unable to hold back his scared statement. "The Lancelot?!"

 _Not quite,_ Ashley thought, noting the refined look this model had, _but its definitely based on that monster._

And then to everyone's shock a voice that was certainly not one of their own suddenly spoke up over an open channel to them. "Okay, seriously, that's enough. Why is everyone calling my dear Amber the name of that traitor?"

That shut up everyone, though whether it was because the voice was that of a woman or that she sounded more concerned over what they called her machine than what was in front of her was anyone's guess.

It was Kuzan who broke the silence. "Have you taken a good look at that thing? Maybe if you actually had a different machine and not one that looks like the Lancelot with a different paint scheme, you'd be called it less." Ashley had to hand it to his friend, he'd managed to actually sound a bit snarky despite his misgivings.

The enemy pilot gave the impression she was shrugging with a small 'meh,' completely unconcerned with their opinions, which only served to get Ashley's blood boiling and he raised Red Ogre's heat swords to point threateningly at the enemy machine. "It doesn't matter what Knightmare you knocked off! You wanna know what I see? A dead little girl!"

With that he launched straight at her, but instead of standing her ground like a good little corpse she instead launched her machine over his head and landed spot on where he'd been, staring down his team. To their credit, Asura Team had their rifles pointed at her but Ashley still suddenly felt a stab of fear go through his heart - if this thing really was a Lancelot variant then it might have those damn shields, making standard guns useless. He breathed a sigh of relief though when the machine turned to face him instead, storing away what had to be its version of the VARIS rifle and drawing its MVS swords instead.

 _Prefers close quarters, huh?_

However, Simon called out to her on the open channel before he could engage her. "You should put your weapons down and surrender." He told her, whilst at the same time switching to a secure line with the rest of the team. "We can't fight this one. She wiped out the entire base on her own and I bet it wasn't even a warm up for her. We need to get out of here."

"Say what?!" Jan snapped at him angrily, "You want us to run away like a bunch of wimps?!"

For a second Ashley almost considered backing him up on that...but then he recalled the speed of this thing and how quickly it had put his team at its mercy. They would be dead if this girl hadn't possessed whatever sick sense of humour was keeping them alive right now. In that instant, her machine had been overcast with that of another monster: Akito Hyuga's Alexander. _No way in hell am I letting that happen again._

With that he took a deep breath, "He's right, this place is too hot. We need to retreat."

"But!"

"I won't lose you guys the way we lost Johanne!" He suddenly yelled out, silencing them all. Even now the subject of their lost friend was a tender subject for themselves and even worse for their leader.

Taking their silence for agreement with his order, Ashley brought the Red Ogre's heat swords forward, at the ready. "So then," he asked, switching back to the open channel, all evidence of his previous blow up gone from his tone, "what's the name of the bitch I'll be burying tonight?"

His question was met with a chilling laugh that sent a shiver up his spine. "Oh where are my manners?" The girl asked herself, before replying. "I am Cinder Fall, Second Knight of the Round Table."

 _Crap._ _I knew it._ However, Ashley didn't let that shake him up and he carried on with his facade. "Yeah? Well I'm the invincible Ashley Ashra, leader of the absolute best Knightmare team, Asura!"

"Am I supposed to be impressed?" The newly named Cinder asked, and he could just imagine her raising an eyebrow at him in annoyance.

Still, annoyance was attention, which meant he had hers. Perfect! Now for stage two. "You should be," he snapped at her, "'cos I challenge you to a duel!"

"What?!" That was the general response to his insane challenge from everyone who heard it, friend and foe alike. "Ashley, are you insane?!" Franz screamed at him, "What do you think you're doing ?!"

"Shut up!" He shouted at him, not daring to switch over to the private channel now, "I'm taking this little girl down! Who cares if she's a Round?!"

 _C'mon Franz,_ he was thinking in his head, _figure it out._

Well, even if his team hadn't gotten the message, it seemed that he'd peeved the Knight of Two a little as she responded tightly. "Nice try, but I've heard worse from kids. Besides why should I even comply?"

 _Crap! Need to get her mad, keep her attention on me and not the guys._ And then Ashley hit upon what he would call his best idea ever, though the rest of the team would call him a moron. He started laughing at her.

"Of course the little girl doesn't want to fight! Why am I not surprised?" He was getting to her, the Lancelot knock off was twitching ever so slightly, a sign that the pilot was doing all she could not to lash out. "I should've known that dumb brat of an emperor didn't know what proper warriors looked like! What'd you do to get that thing anyway? How far did you spread your legs before he- shit!"

He was cut off as the machine suddenly launched forward at him, the Knightmare's MVS's swinging straight down at him. Ashley barely had enough time to dodge away, the blades slamming hard into the ground where Red Ogre had been only a second before, and quickly put some distance between them taking the girl's attention further away from Asura Team.

Evidence that his plan had gone without a hitch came a moment later as Cinder Fall spoke on the open channel again, only now she lacked any of the cool vitriol she'd had before. "You...you insect!" She all but snarled at him, the Amber's swords coming back up in an aggressive stance, "How dare you insinuate such a thing of Emperor Lelouch?! I swear I'll wipe you and your pathetic band of turncoats from the memory of the world!" That was all the warning she gave before her Knightmare launched straight at Red Ogre with all the fury of its pilot behind it.

 _Shit, might have made her a bit too angry there._ Ashley thought to himself, before shrugging and bringing up his machine's own swords and calling out to her, "Come on then, girly! Let's see whatcha got!"

The Amber slammed right into Red Ogre, nearly causing him to lose control from the shock of the impact, but he was able to pull it together at the last second and push back against the MVS's. Just from the current lock though he could tell that this wasn't going to be easy, this thing was more than just a Lancelot copy - it could very well be a more powerful version - which meant there was no way he could win, especially if the pilot was as good as he'd been suggesting she wasn't.

 _But I don't have to win._ He thought to himself, briefly taking his eyes off the machine to look over to where Asura Team had been. _Please let them have figured it- Yes!_ They had worked out his crazy plan and were heading for the ruins of the base. It was nearly impossible that anyone had been left alive in this she-devil's wake, but if they could even find one survivor Ashley would tally that as a win.

Suddenly the lock broke and he was thrown back into their duel as Cinder rammed her Amber right into Red Ogre's chest, sending him bouncing back. He was able to stay on his feet but it was a near thing. As for the Knight of Two, she just regarded him for a moment before asking him, still in that seething tone that promised a fate worse than death "Do you really think you can save yourselves?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" He snapped back, not daring to take his eyes off of her machine a second time.

"It means you have nowhere to run!" She declared hotly before launching forward again with another swipe that he only just managed to deflect away before they came back to a lock. "Even if you run away from me now, sooner or later all your hiding places will be taken away! Even now, Britannia looms over your cities, ready to do to you what you did to Paris!" Her machine suddenly upped the pressure on him and it was all Ashley could do to keep them level...and he had a sneaking suspicion he hadn't seen even the beginning of this monster's strength.

All the while, Cinder Fall went on talking. "We'll drag your EU into the future whether you want it or not! And you and your friends will not be spared that glorious coming either!"

* * *

 **Luneville.**

By midday what hopefulness there had been of a new successful campaign had dwindled to speedy retreats back across the German border. The confirmed report of Lord Bishop in Metz was bad enough, but the unconfirmed rumours that there were at least two more Knights of the Round out there did not do anything to improve morale.

Those rumours would soon be changed from two to three though as Luneville suddenly came under attack by one machine piloted by a man who just seemed to get off on making the EU squirm.

"YEEEEEEEHHAAAAAAHHHH!" That was the one thing that kept blazing over the radio of the oddly designed Knightmare Frame that was causing untold devastation to the European forces. It was a bulky thing that looked to have two layers of armour - a dark red thick outer layer, with an inner gray layer that appeared through the cracks of the first layer - and a head shaped like a closed helmet that made it look like a miniaturised Bamides.

As for its arsenal (which it was currently spraying all over an unfortunate group of Panzers) it was fixed with shoulder-mounted Hadron Cannons identical to those of the former Knight of Six's Mordred and on its back were two VARIS cannons, both of which were currently set to burst mode. As for hand use, it was currently duel wielding a mini-gun, of all things, that was also based on the VARIS and a grenade launcher.

All of this combined together equaled a lot of destroyed machines...as well as everything else in the general vicinity.

"Lord Thomson!" One brave Sutherland pilot finally called out to him after seeing the last poor EU bastard get riddled with holes. "Lord Thomson! It's over! There's nothing left, My Lord, the EU has been completely routed. You can stop now, Lord Thomson!"

For a moment it didn't look like his lord had heard him, the mini-gun still blazing away, but then the raging rapport of the massive weapon came to an end and the machine turned around to face the Sutherland, the smoking barrel of the weapon now pointed at his own troops.

"You sure of that, Jenny?" The so-named Lord Thomson asked, sounding more than a bit disappointed. "Because I'm sure I saw a few more just over that rise the-"

"NO!" 'Jenny' replied, doing _his_ best not to sweat buckets in the face of that monstrous thing now aimed directly at his machine. "No, my lord, that wasn't a Panzer. It was...a badger! Just a badger, sir, nothing to shoot at over there...I'm afraid."

For a moment the terrified Britannian was certain his lie hadn't held, why was he even trying to protect a Euro trash anyway? What if Lord Thomson picked up on that? _Please don't kill me, please don't kill me, please don't kill me._

And then finally, the Knightmare before him lowered its weapon away from the Sutherland and its pilot let out a sigh of relief. Lord Thomson however was not so happy. "Godammit! And I didn't even get to use the grenade launcher! Never mind the Starks!" He trailed off for a moment then sighed over the radio before continuing, "Ah well, whatever. Today was a good day, god has smiled on us, yadda yadda yadda - I'll tell the kid we've got this place secured, you guys establish a perimeter. And if the Euros come back..." he let out a giddy laugh before rolling passed the Sutherland, "you make sure to tell me first, Jenny."

"Yes, My Lord!" The Sutherland pilot replied...before going on to say, "And, My Lord? My name's not Jenny."

"That's nice to hear, Jenny!" Thomson called back over his shoulder as he turned his Knightmare in the direction of the G-1, forcing the poor man to hold back the urge to beat his head against the walls of his cockpit. The man was absolutely deranged! And who the hell got away with calling His Majesty the Emperor 'the kid?'

Unfortunately there must have been some redeeming feature to having a gun-crazy mad man in charge of a battalion. The emperor certainly seemed to think so anyway, since he named the man the new Knight of Three.

* * *

Lord Peter Thomson, Third Knight of the Round Table, was a big man with a big appetite. However, where other's hunger could be sated with food, he lusted after bigger and better weapons to be used on the battlefield. Such an attitude had gotten him a bit of a reputation as a mad dog in the past and his appearance didn't help to dissuade that impression.

Aside from his size, which was considerable, he only had one visible eye of ocean blue. His right eye was covered by an eye patch that had spawned off any number of rumours and theories about what happened to it - his personal favourite was the one where he destroyed an entire army single handed only to get his eye shot up when he came back and accidentally set off the ejection sequence - and he had short brown hair that spiked up in all the right places to make him look just a little bit unstable.

Not to say that he wasn't, even Peter could admit he was a bit touched in the head, but then that's what time in prison could do to a person. It had left him a little bit...weird. But he was a Knight of the Round now so in his opinion it all balanced out.

Of course one of the downsides of being an all-important Round was that people wanted him to do things that didn't involve blowing shit up. Take this little pipsqueak communications officer right now, he'd run up and saluted him the very moment he'd arrived on the command bridge of the G-1. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he didn't even bother to hide the annoyance in his voice as he asked. "What?"

"My Lord," the comms officer reported stiffly, "the Knight of One wants to speak with you at your earliest convenience."

"Willy?" Well, that changed everything. Peter smiled at the lad before continuing, "Yeah, makes sense he'd want to tell me how cool his day was when I was the one who had all the real fun." On his part, the officer did the smart thing and just remained silent as the Knight of Three continued to talk to himself. "Well, I shouldn't keep his Onesie-ness waiting. Put him on."

He chose to ignore the look of relief on the soldier's face (seriously, had people forgotten good battle humour in his time away?) and just slouched into the ridiculously uncomfortable throne whilst the operator's got to work establishing a connection between them and William's G-1. A moment later, the screen at the front of the bridge blared on, showing the face of the Knight of One staring back at them. The command staff, at the sight of Lelouch's Strongest, immediately saluted. As for Peter, he just gave his old friend a merry little wave.

"Hi Willy!" He began, not at all minding the offended gasps or the shocked guffaws around him, gods these people were too uptight! "How's things in Metz?" He went on to ask, smiling brilliantly whilst Bishop just sighed at his attitude.

"I see you've learned nothing from our stay in Alcatraz." He commented.

"Not true, Willy!" Peter retorted, still smiling "I learned not to drop the soap."

"Hmm." The Knight of One frowned, "I'm starting to think I shouldn't have asked His Majesty to make you a Round."

"Oh, Willy, you hurt me!" The Knight of Three replied, falling from his seat onto his knees in a melodramatic act of pain and anguish, "Were all those years nothing then? Do you not love me as a brother, dearest William. Are we not best friends?"

Around him, the command staff was doing their level best to keep from chuckling at their commander's insane humour, whilst others were sweating buckets as if Lord Bishop was about to come through the screen and execute them all. As for Bishop himself, he just let out another put upon sigh and nodded at his friend. "Yes, Peter, we are friends but that does not excuse such frivolous behaviour. His Majesty has granted us both a second chance at life, you would do well not to make him regret it."

The threat in that little nugget of advice did not go over Peter's head, but instead of being offended by it, he simply waved it off. "Yeah, yeah, look I already said I was on the kid's boat, didn't I?" He ignored the more uptight operator's hissing at him calling Emperor Lelouch a kid, but come on! He looked like he could barely shave! "Besides, he killed that bastard Charles before either of us could so I'm not gonna be the one who tries to kill him. And most important of all," His lazy smile turned starstruck, "have you seen my new Knightmare? All those guns, and cannons, and lasers and a grenade launcher! A freaking grenade launcher, Willy! It's so...shiny."

Now it was Bishop's turn to roll his eyes at his old friend's predictable nature. "Of course the deciding factor for you would be the number of guns he's allowed you to carry." He muttered exasperatedly, though there was a touch of fond memories in there as well. "What's it called again?"

"Uncle Teddy."

Bishop stared at Peter's calm face for a moment before raising a single skeptic eyebrow, "You named it that, didn't you?"

"Well duh, Willy." He replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "That Lloyd guy had some big silly name for it that just made me want to shoot him. Uncle Teddy's easy to remember."

That did it, the stoic image of William Bishop broke. It was only for a moment, and it was little more than a snort, but as far as Peter was concerned that was a win. Bishop seemed to realise it too as he quickly readopted his calm facade, covering his almost-laugh as a cough. "Right, I'll speak to you once Metz is fully back in our control."

"You're not done?" Peter joked. "And here I am, already finished. You're getting old, Willy." His smirk dropped a little though as he went on. "Hey, Will. Don't go and die on me. You still have that score with Bismarck to settle, remember?"

"Oh, I remember, Peter." Bishop replied, his calm visage once again giving way to emotion at the reminder, only this time it was the coldest hatred. "That's one thing I will never forget until the day I have that bastard on the end of my sword." And with that he disconnected.

For a few moments the G-1 was silent as the command crew took in the knowledge that Sir Bishop actually was capable of emotions beyond simple stoicism. Not surprisingly it was Peter who broke the silence.

"That guy seriously needs to get laid."

* * *

 **Netherlands, Britannian Air Base.**

The duel had been going on now for a good ten minutes...though really calling it a duel probably ended around the end of the fourth. At this point it was more of a game called 'How Many Times Can Cinder Knock Over This Annoying Bug Before He Stays Down?' Honestly if she was feeling even the slightest bit less angry at the moment, Cinder might have thought about giving the poor thing a breather.

As it stood however, she was still furious enough to melt diamonds with her eyes. Therefore she just kept pounding away on the vulgar red loudmouth in front of her with everything she had. A strike here, a parry there...and a dirty kick to the legs sent the double crosser's machine onto his back, eliciting a furious shout from the pilot.

For her however, that was just music to Cinder's ears as she taunted him. "Aw...did the 'invincible' pilot trip over his legs...again?" She smirked to herself as that got another loud grunt from her opponent. "I have to say, I'm disappointed. All that bluster and this is all you can manage, insect?"

She didn't bother hearing another angry animal noise and instead launched in for the kill, but as she did the pesky machine suddenly proved why the name of her game was so ridiculously long when it managed to bring up a sword and block the Amber's MVS. _Insect is right. He's a goddamn cockroach!_

Said cockroach now began pushing back against her for the umpteenth time, its pilot declaring loudly "I am not done yet!"

Brave words, but she clearly heard the gurgle in his voice. He was either sick or he'd just coughed up blood, either way this insolent idiot would soon be dead. That didn't stop him from attacking though as he swung his sword at her in a wide arc, an attack Cinder didn't even bother to dodge in preference for the Absolute Defence Field. The sword hit the shield wall just where she calculated it would, snapping in two.

 _Now it's just sad._ She thought to herself privately, the damn fool had left himself wide open with that stupid move. An opening she took full advantage of and had the Amber kick the red machine square in the chest sending it onto its back again.

Before the pilot had a chance to self right his machine, she brought the foot of the Amber down hard on its chest and pressed down hard pinning it to the floor. And just for a little extra flair, she pointed the tip of her MVS at the red machine's face. "Be honest," she asked him nonchalantly, "are you bored of this? Because I certainly am."

Her comment was met with silence, to which she just shrugged and pulled the sword back preparing to thrust through the head into the cockpit. "Well, whatever. Maybe the rest of your team will be less of a disappointment."

That comment, as expected, got a response from the team leader. However, it wasn't the response she was hoping for: He'd started laughing again. "Oh wow, I was right!" The insect declared, still laughing despite it coming through that he was in a serious amount of pain. "You really are a terrible knight!"

Was this a guy thing? Laughing in the face of their superiors after being beaten into submission? Whatever the reason, it was doing nothing for Cinder's temper in the slightest. Did this idiot take anything seriously? "Well, it doesn't matter now, does it?" She asked out loud, her MVS ready to strike down. "In the end, we fought. I won. And now, it ends."

She had intended those to be the last words the moron ever heard before she skewered him, however once again the little mite was saved, this time by intervention of the rest of the bug colony. The 'invincible' leader's 'best' Knightmare team had returned and were now firing on her with their rifles.

"Insects everywhere!" Cinder snarled, backing away from the downed machine, unable to bring up the ADF in time to deflect the attacks. Finally she got it up, but damn it if this infestation problem was getting annoying!

It didn't help matters when the loudest of the bugs started laughing at her again as he finally got his machine back on to its feet. "You're right there, this is the end!"

 _He can't seriously want to keep going._ She thought to herself, secretly feeling a little unnerved. _Even if he does have a team at his back again, there's no way he could...wait._ Something in the hands of the turncoat Gloucesters caught her eye and she zoomed in on her screen, to her complete surprise she could make out a number of EU uniformed soldiers riding them. _Hang on...is that what's been going on? He was buying time for them to find survivors...but then, does that mean?_

The answer came from her opponent himself who crowed triumphantly over the radio. "And now guys...LEG IT!" He gave the order so quickly, Cinder didn't realise what was happening until it was half way over. The moment he'd given the order, his machine had launched in the direction of the Gloucesters, who had started to deploy smoke.

 _Dammit!_ Quickly, Cinder switched to her Super VARIS and took aim at the smoke, but it was too little too late. The European team had already used the cover to disappear from sight and without a proper solution there was no way she was guaranteed to hit anything. Growling in annoyance she activated the float system and took to the sky, hoping to spot them as they fled. But the smoke was already widely dispersed and heading in all directions. By the time she'd found a trace they'd likely have already changed course.

 _That petulant, time wasting, arrogant cockroach!_ Cinder felt like screaming, he'd wasted her time for such a poultry gain as a few injured troops? What was wrong with him?! She'd almost totaled his machine doing that!

Still... "Ashley Ashra and Asura Team, huh?" She spoke the names out loud for the first time today. "I'll make a point to find you all one day, where I'll put you all under my heel where you belong."

* * *

 **Avalon.**

"Lloyd!" Cecile called out to her boss from her workstation. They'd been monitoring the performance of their newest machines throughout the day and so far all things had been working out nicely. It helped that they didn't have to worry about an air attack, the EU was way behind the tech race on that front to an almost laughable extent, meaning they could cruise through French air space at their leisure.

A leisurely pace was anything but on the minds of the scientists and engineers aboard the Avalon as the finest minds Britannia had continued to hypothesise, theorise, and improve upon their ideas for their next Knightmare Frame, which required data. The brilliant thing about war - or so Lloyd always said - was that battles happened all the time, which meant more than enough chances to collect data. Needless to say, the Earl of Pudding was over the moon right now.

It was during this data collection that Cecile had switched over to observing Lady Fall's new machine and the readouts had triggered her call out to her boss. Hearing his name, Lloyd casually strolled over to have a look at what his assistant had seen. One look at the results though and he almost looked like he would cry tears of joy.

"It's beautiful!" He crowed happily, "My wonderful machine has proved itself again!"

 _Well at least he's happy._ Cecile allowed herself the positive thought, considering how he'd gotten when they'd had to leave Suzaku behind it was nice to see him exude a level of...not normalcy per say, but back to what she was used to: insanely happy with pudding coating his mouth. "Lady Fall's performance is remarkable, these readings are beyond expectations."

Lloyd just nodded happily again, although his smile did droop a little bit as he stated, "Well of course they are, this is Lancelot's twin after all."

The change in her boss's attitude didn't go unnoticed by Cecile, he got like this whenever they went over the Amber:Tertiary. It didn't take a genius to figure out why. "You still miss him too?"

He just nodded, his morose persona increasing as he picked up a tablet off the desk and started going over the numbers coming in from the Amber. "I'm afraid I'll never stop, my dear." He informed her bleakly. "He had it in him to be the best."

She nodded in agreement, some of her own sadness coming through as she stopped working on her current project to face him properly. "Yes. If he had stayed with us he could have finally been a part of something so much more than just another war."

"He would have been legendary." Lloyd stated without a shred of doubt, "But now he'll just be a traitor."

"Not if we can get to him first Lloyd!" She insisted firmly, "There's still time to save him. Suzaku isn't-"

"Suzaku?" He cut her off, a look of confusion marring his face which she was certain she was reflecting right back at him. Hadn't that been who they were talking about? Evidently not as Lloyd snorted at her suggestion before carrying on. "Who cares about Suzaku? I want my Lancelot back! He would have been my ultimate creation!"

Confusion turned to mass twitching on Cecile's face...and a strong desire to punch the sociopath right in his face. _That_ was what he was missing?! The ruddy Albion?! They could get started on that any time they wanted, especially now that they'd tested out the frame and the weapons. What about the boy they took in? Still, chucking him out the gantry into the open air where anyone could 'accidentally' shoot him wouldn't get anything done so she just sighed.

"You're absolutely incorrigible." She muttered, whilst in her head she began counting down from ten...thousand.

As for Lloyd he just shrugged, still looking somewhat miffed at the reminder that he didn't have his dream machine with him, and went back to looking over the incoming information on the tablet. "Still, its a shame the emperor wouldn't let us install the Energy Wings on the Reaper and Amber. Stupid squishy humans."

 _Yes,_ she thought to herself mutinously, _how dare humans be made out of organic flesh and bone and not solid steel._

"I've told you before, Lloyd," she reminded him, "Lady Fall isn't ready for such a leap and Lord Calhoun only just became a Round. They have a long way to go before they're ready for that." That was one argument she was happy Emperor Lelouch had been present for to cut Lloyd off at the pass; one threat to cut their budget and he fell in line.

But that had rubbed off of him quickly enough once he found something new to tinker with. "Well, at least I got to play with Rakshata's Absolute Defense System." He pointed out, grinning smugly. "And people say I overdo things, how was she expecting anyone without a genius intellect like my own to work it?"

"But it does provide a chance to improve on the Blaze Luminous." Cecile noted, desperate not to set him off on another superiority rant. "We could use it in the designs for His Majesty's new ship."

"Ah yes," he remembered, nodding carelessly, " _Nemesis_ should get my best treatment. Ooooh!" He looked about ready to start dancing like he had the first time they'd seen the blueprints which were now being put to use in Nevada. "I can't wait to see it completed! Do you think he'll let us build something even better after that?"

 _Such a child._ She rolled her eyes at him before replying, "Let's just get that one finished first, I'm sure His Majesty already has something in mind. Do you really think it'll be ready by the end of the month?"

"But of course!" He stated, almost looking like he'd taken offence to her question, "If I say it will be done in a month, it will be done in a month! Wouldn't want our handsome, charming patron to be disappointed," he added on, smirking slyly at her, "isn't that right, deary?"

This time she really did punch him, cheeks flaring redder than Rakshata's own experimental machine. It wasn't like His Majesty was even interested anyway!

* * *

 **London, underground**

It was raining outside, something Lelouch had been warned was a bit of the norm for British weather, English in particular where the forecast either promised sunny skies or drizzly days. Coming here it made him wonder what the big deal was if the former capital of his people always looked so dreary, though C.C. had told him that the best time to be in England was apparently in May rather than June...which served to annoy him to no end.

However, bad weather was not the cause for his travelling to London today but rather what was hidden beneath the long lasting city that drew his attention. One of the benefits of being emperor of now roughly three quarters of the world was that he got access to all the information and plans the former emperor had left behind - in this case Charles and V.V.'s extensive research on Geass, C's World and, rather more imporantly, the Thought Elevators and their locations. Honestly he'd been unsurprised to find one hiding beneath Pendragon, but what had really shocked him was to find another one deep beneath the British capital.

It led him to wonder just how much influence Geass had had on his country's history.

But that was another study for another time, for now Lelouch had other affairs to attend to whilst also running the war in the EU. Although at this point, running the war translated into giving short clipped statements to Alfred who had accompanied him. "Once Bishop and Thomson break the lines at Metz and Luneville they are to wait at the border for Arthur and General Abramson."

"Of course sir." His aide replied dutifully.

"Together they are to break the enemy's blockade on Mannheim and then push on into Frankfurt. Meanwhile, I and my legionnaires will take Belgium."

"Very good sir." Alfred replied again, writing it all down on a notepad before transferring that to his jacket pocket.

The reason he'd stopped was that they'd finally arrived at their destination. It had taken quite a bit of walking, scouring, and lying to the stationed troops to get here but now Lelouch found himself standing before a familiar sight. The large door looked virtually identical to the one in Kamine island, right down to the steps leading up to it and the etchings of an ancient Geass sigil in the stone by a civilisation that had long disappeared.

"Wait here." Not wasting any time, Lelouch stepped forward onto the stone patio and placed his hand on the door. Unlike before where the gateway to C's World had already been open for him, this time he had to make a connection himself. Fortunately C.C. had taught him how to do so before she went looking for her former contractors and so it only took him a few seconds - more than he would have liked - before he felt his consciousness move to another plain.

When he opened his eyes again, he noted with a small level of surprise that the place hadn't changed since he'd made his wish to God. He stood on a rock outcropping in the middle of a giant almost mechanical looking device, around him were pillars that could have been the remains of some ancient ruin and above him loomed the massive Jovian planet that represented the Collective Subconscious of mankind, the massive Geass sigil still spread across it.

 _That's odd._ Lelouch thought to himself, looking around at the familiar setting. _I thought it might look different this time, it's not like I want to use the Sword of Akasha._

"It's only an interface." Said a voice behind him, taking him completely by surprise, "It changes depending on what you want it to look like."

Immediately, Lelouch whirled around to face the voice. It belonged to what appeared to be an attractive looking young woman with black-through-pink hair and unusual pink eyes. Also she was dressed in a low-cut, long-sleeved black shirt that seemed to reflect the light that was hitting it with a thin sash that trailed down to her high heeled feet. Her legs were wrapped in tight black pants that showed no sign as to where they ended and her heeled boots began.

If she noticed his roaming eye she didn't mention it, she just kept her easy smile on him even when he pulled out his handgun and pointed it level with her pale skinned head. "Oh really, there's no need for that, Lelouch."

Her statement did little to dissuade his concerns and his left hand started creeping up to his lenses should he need to use his Geass. However, his initial analysis of her had picked up something that sparked his fear that it would be for naught: the pink lining of the girl's shirt, it was designed in the shape of a familiar crane symbol.

All the more reason for the tightening of his grip on his pistol, for all the good it would do him as he demanded, "What are you?"

"'What?'" The girl repeated, her head lolling to the side. "Not 'who?'"

"I would've felt it if another presence had entered the Thought Elevator," he explained, not taking his eyes off her for a second, "there are so few people who enter and exit that it would be impossible to miss. But you to arrive and not leave a trace? Not even C.C. is that good." It was dangerous to drop names but at this point it was unlikely this thing, whatever it was, didn't know who he was talking about.

It looked like he was right too as she perked up in familiarity to the mention of his Witch. "Oh? You think she knows all the secrets of this place?" She giggled at his presumption. "Lelouch, compared to me your dear Cera is just a little girl."

"Which leads us back to my question," he countered, trying not to flinch at the mention of C.C.'s true name being spoken by anyone but him. "What are you?"

For a moment it appeared she wouldn't answer, swaying here and there with an infuriatingly familiar careless smile on her face - he'd seen it on C.C's many times before - but then she shrugged and sighed before slowly walking towards him. "What I am, Lelouch, is nothing. I am no one." He was about to snap how very useful that answer _wasn't_ before she went on, now with a bit more presence in her tone. "But at the same time, I suppose you could say I am everyone."

"I am the manifestation of the thoughts and feelings of those in this world, both living and dead. Where there is a concious thought, there you will find me; where there is a dream, there I will dwell; where there is a wish, I do my part in seeing it granted." As she spoke, the world around them vanished, replaced with an endless ocean of stars but neither really noticed the change. Her tone was light, but the inflection was strong, and all the while she kept that silly grin on her face as comprehension dawned on Lelouch's. "Figured it out yet?"

For Lelouch it was a shattering of more than a few of the concepts surrounding Geass that he'd thought he understood. Tearing his gaze away from the apparition before him, he turned to stare again at the giant planet overhead, then back to her, still with a touch of disbelief in his eyes as he stated. "You're the Collective Unconscious."

"A part of it anyway." She confirmed with a light nod, "I am what the people of this era call the Dimensional Supervisor, or D.S. for short. My main purpose is to intervene in events that threaten the stability of 'C's World,' as you call it."

"Is that so?" He asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow, "Strange, I don't recall seeing you when Charles and Marianne tried to kill you."

"Who do you think was holding back that damned sword?" 'D.S.' retorted to his surprise, folding her arms and pouting of all things. "If I hadn't been working on my end to keep the Ragnarok Connection from being completed, you would never have had time to make the wish that stopped it. Why do you think they needed two Codes?"

 _That...would actually make some sense._ Lelouch was forced to admit, after all Marianne had said that they didn't have a one-hundred-percent chance of success with just one. Was this entity really that powerful?

"That wasn't even the first time I stepped in on your affairs," said entity continued, giggling a little at the flummoxed look on his face "though that last one was definitely more me doing my job rather than anything of a more personal interest."

Now he really was skeptical. "I think I would have remembered a beautiful young woman with those eyes." Yes he could admit it, he was dedicated not blind.

Clearly though, D.S. didn't believe him as she gave out a little snort, "Oh yes, just like how you noticed your subordinate all but throwing herself at you through your first rebellion. Tell me, does that thing between your legs actually work, or is the rumour at your old school that you and Suzaku Kururugi are star-crossed lovers actually true?"

The sputtering that set off in Lelouch was enough to make him finally lower his pistol, though he was silently cursing his luck. _Just great. Another C.C.!_

After another giggle at his antics, D.S. continued where she left off, "Anyway, just because you didn't see me doesn't mean I wasn't acting through agents. Tell me, how do you think C.C. knew about Nunnally's kidnapping?"

That caught his attention, "That was you?" He asked her, not sure he believed what he was being told. "I thought C.C. felt it through our contract. Nunnally was my reason to live after all."

"To an extent, yes." She agreed, nodding at his assessment, "But by that time your contract had changed remember? After a certain debacle with a former contractor of hers?"

 _Mao? What's he got to do with this?_ For a moment he was stumped as to how that mad man could be a part of this...and then he recalled what he and C.C. had talked about after he'd had Mao shot by the police. He'd assured her that he would attain her wish along with his own desires, regardless of what it had been...they'd renegotiated the contract.

Seeing that he was beginning to understand, D.S. continued, "Neither of you may realise this but it's very easy to change the grounds of a contract if both the Code and the Geass desire it. After that, though you didn't know it, C.C. had become a part of your reason to live right alongside Nunnally and your rebellion. Do you realise how rare that is? For the Code to be a part of the Geass's contract?" She snorted before putting her hands on her hips. "It certainly screwed up her warning detection, that's why I had to step in."

"I see." Lelouch replied, though his expression was a frown. Why did this entity do that for him? What did she gain out of alerting him to V.V.'s meddling? There was too little data to form an answer. "Any other times I should know of?"

This time, D.S. actually looked uncomfortable about the subject as her folded arms loosened so one hand could clutch the opposite forearm, "Just one other time." She admitted quietly, "Though you were hardly in any state to remember it."

There were a few times in his life that Lelouch could recall when he'd been too traumatised to think straight, but that didn't help if he didn't know which time he was supposedly in her debt for. "When was it?" He pressed.

Seeing his firm stance, D.S. sighed and uttered just one word that summed up everything that he hoped hadn't been the time she was referring to: "Kingsley."

Just hearing that dratted name again threatened to bring bile to his throat, the identity Charles had crafted for him to be a loyal pawn of the empire, his intelligence, command, and power all in that bastard's hand without a choice! Lelouch could still remember the indignity of it, which was why he so actively repressed those memories most of the time; it was one mask that he was absolutely disgusted to have worn.

And so it was a tight voice that he spoke with when he prodded her, "Continue. In just what way were you involved with that...phase?"

"Very little actually." She admitted freely, shrugging at first. "Using Geass on enemies to make them your most useful allies is hardly anything new. You yourself have done it once or twice. But then..." she trailed off for a moment, regarding him with an intrigue that Lelouch had seen on Rakshata's face more than once: the desire to break him down and see what made him tick. "Almost immediately you started fighting back. Barely for a couple of seconds at first, but little by little you pulled yourself back from your father's control. That turned more than a few heads up here."

"So I became interesting because I refused to bow to Charles's whims?" He asked her, not buying it for a second, "Surely there have been others, if that's the case."

"Of course there were, but they are few and far between." D.S. explained, "It takes incredible willpower to stand against the command of Geass, and even more to overpower it. But that's not what caught my attention." She stopped again, once more fixing him with that curious stare before continuing. "Every time you resurfaced, Julius Kingsley forced you down or Suzaku Kururugi tortured you until you retreated, and yet you absolutely refused to accept defeat. You fought for every second of freedom you could afford before you were stopped again. A lesser man would have given up after a few tries but you...you never did.

"It was amazing to see, and whilst others here would have just watched I actually found myself hoping you would succeed...and so I decided to stack the deck in your favour." Seeing his lack of understanding, she continued to explain. "Remember the final time you pushed through? When you just so happened to coincide with Kingsley stating his loyalty to Charles?"

"That was you?!" He demanded, furious at the idea that he could have freed himself if she'd just pushed a little sooner.

But she shook her head, "No, little emperor, that was all you. Though it did work out nicely for me that Shinn Hyuga Shaing chose that moment to try and murder you, it got Suzaku away from you so you and Kingsley could fight it out without distraction." Another smile found her lips as she continued to retell that awful moment in his life, when nothing had made sense to him and two voices in his head demanded that they were the real identity. "It actually hurt to watch that one, you two were so close to succeeding over each other that at times I didn't think you'd need me. But then Shaing pointed a gun at you..." did she actually growl at that? "and that was unacceptable. So I sent you one single word that I knew would bring you out on top..."

And what a word it had been, one that now hurt him as much as it had helped him then: "Nunnally."

"Right." She nodded.

Well, that was certainly something. Lelouch really didn't know what to say to that, apparently he'd caught the attention of C's World's version of pest control because he was even more stubborn as a mule. Enough that it had tried to help him. "Well..." he started slowly, "I suppose the right thing to say is thank you. For Julius Kingsley and the time before. But," his gaze suddenly turned as sharp as his tone, "that doesn't tell me why you're showing yourself to me now."

"No, I suppose it doesn't." D.S. allowed with a small nod and what he hoped was a genuine smile on her face. After a moment she began to speak again, this time far more distant than before: "The student, Lelouch Lamperouge; the revolutionary, Zero; the military advisor, Julius Kingsley; and now the White Emperor, Lelouch vi Britannia. You know a thing or two about wearing masks."

She broke her gaze on him to look down at her own body, with something resembling self consciousness. "For me, masks come in the form of my very physical presence. I have no face to call my own, just the one that takes my fancy at the time. This one that I'm wearing now belonged to a girl that was spirited away by your father's Geass Order; it felt appropriate considering what he and his brother were planning to do to us. I did try to approach them, to stop their mad quest for their world of living death, but I was turned away or ignored at every approach.

"It was strange, for the first time in eons I felt fear in the Collective Unconscious, we were certain we were going to die." Her frown then vanished as she returned her gaze to match his. "And then, who should be the one to save us, but you? The son of one of the brothers who was trying to kill us. The irony was not lost on us."

The way this conversation was going, Lelouch quickly picked up what was going unsaid and he frowned. "So you think you owe me something now?" He didn't like owing people favours for the smallest things, he couldn't imagine the combined ego of every human on the planet would be happy owing someone like him for saving their lives.

But D.S. shook her head. "C's World owes you a debt, we recognise that and are already repaying you. Its why your little war in Europe has been met with such minimal opposition so far. Besides we have a mess we need to clean up there as well and you're on hand. As for _me."_ She stressed the word, taking measured steps towards him now, "I've already told you that the Collective Unconscious is curious about you, but _I_ personally am far more interested than just that."

 _Oh dear._ Those pink eyes of hers were now looking at him in a way that Lelouch recognised on many a human girl, it didn't help that she was now right up in his face, almost rubbing against him. How was it even possible a supposedly genderless entity even had desires like that? Preying that this was just leftover paranoia from years of dealing with Milly he cleared his throat and asked. "And what might you be interested in?"

The sly smile she shot him was pure C.C. there was nothing else to name it. "Well, as you hold the power of Geass, what would you say to a contract?"

"What...sort of contract?" He asked slowly, though in his soul it felt like he was making a deal with the devil...again.

He was proven right when, for reasons that flew right over his head, D.S. leaned in and whispered her desire into his ear, making sure to keep just out of contact with his skin, causing all measure of bad thoughts to start running a muck in his head. He almost missed the request thanks to that, but thankfully seeing as he'd suspected something, he'd already started to blush before she began this little game.

"I...see." He said once she pulled away, though barely an inch away from his lips. "And why am I being volunteered for this?"

His question caused her to pout, "Aww, isn't what I suggested reason enough?" Lelouch liked to think his blank face did the trick of answering that question for him, because she sighed and pulled back a little bit, though still in arms reach. "Fine, if you want to play it that way, I can be of use to you. I'm aware you're hunting down those who have Geass. I can help you find them."

Now wasn't that interesting? "I'm listening."

"One of the advantages of being part of everything is the omniscience that comes with it." She explained, "I could literally point out anyone in a crowd who has Geass, even if the Code who gave it to them has long since forgotten about them."

 _That...really could be useful._ Lelouch admitted, not allowing the other...benefits to weigh in on his decision making."Any proof to back up this claim?" He asked.

D.S. raised an eyebrow at him before shaking her head in mild exasperation and complying. "Well the one you call Leila Breisgau should probably at the top of your list." She revealed, not commenting on how his eyes had widened just a fraction at this news, "It's actually one of the most unique we've ever seen, a genuine anti-Geass. It's similar to your Jeremiah Gottwald's Geass Canceller, however where his simply nullifies the effects of a Geass, her ability completely destroys the power itself."

A Geass that destroyed other people's Geass? Now that was cause for concern. Leila Breisgau had already been on Lelouch's shortlist of people he needed to deal with, her reputation as a commander on the battlefield preceded her, but to discover that she had a Geass all this time as well and one so deadly? The commander of the EU's W-0 Unit had just jumped all the way up his list of priorities, such an individual was too dangerous to leave in play.

"What's more," D.S. continued, "I know where she is."

"Then tell me." He all but ordered, however to his growing aggravation she shook her head.

"It's not that simple. Right now I'm being carefully watched by people in the EU." She explained, and suddenly alarm bells began ringing in Lelouch's head. If she was in Europe with people who knew about her then... "Relax, they barely have an idea of what I really am, they just think I'm an odd girl with a weird Geass power. But if Leila suddenly disappeared, suspicion would fall on me almost immediately."

"And I would lose a crucial informant." He finished her trail of thought, grudgingly admitting that was a good reason not to tell him just now, as well as being a little annoyed that she'd known exactly why he wanted the information.

D.S. just shrugged, "That's the price I'm afraid. I can be your eyes in the EU but you must be patient or wait for C.C. to find Leila by herself. However," she continued on a more positive note, "I can tell you a little about the people running this war."

"Other than Smilas, you mean?"

"Correct," she nodded and continued, "there is a man who goes by the title 'Wizard' who works closely with Gene Smilas. Have you heard of him?"

"The name is familiar to me," Lelouch confirmed, frowning at the mention. There was actually very little known about this man even in the Britannian records which he had perused thoroughly before setting up the war, all he could find out was that he appeared shortly after the Black Rebellion was quelled and had ties with a terrorist group in the EU. Such an unknown was...troubling. "I had no idea they'd joined forces."

D.S. simply nodded again at his comment, as if she'd expected the answer. "Well before the EU launched its blitzkriegs, he was in charge of communing with me in Munich." Her naming the city in such an offhand way almost through Lelouch off too, as it was no doubt intended...clever. "But now he's in command of the occupying forces in Brussels."

 _Brussels. Check._ "Anything else I should know?" He asked her, glancing around carefully. If there was a connection to C's World in Munich then he'd have to make a speedy getaway soon.

"Only that you should hurry and finish conquering Europe." She warned him, backing away and losing quite a bit of her playful personality, her shirt reflecting off the celestial ocean around them making her appear all the more ethereal. "We owe you a debt, Lelouch vi Britannia, but we can not hold back the march of time for much longer. Soon others will emerge with convictions as strong as your own. You will have to decide what to do with them once the time comes."

Even her voice had changed, as if multiple persons were now using her lips as a proxy, leading Lelouch to suspect that it was now the Collective Unconscious itself talking through her. While unnerving, he couldn't deny their words held weight; he was going to have his hands full dealing with all of Schneizal's puppets, the last thing he needed was those puppets suddenly starting to think for themselves.

Frowning, Lelouch gave the mysterious girl one last nod, "Very well then, Dimensional Supervisor, you shall be my agent within Europe. I expect your complicity in this. And in return," he bowed low, as he had long ago been taught in his gentility classes, "I shall abide by our contract."

The world around them suddenly flashed to a halt, the stars holding in place and the endless black void paying witness to his agreement. And then, gradually, the stellar sea slowly began to vanish, replaced with a golden sunset hanging over a rich green field, the door back to the outside world appearing behind D.S.

The occupants barely noted the change however, as D.S. let out another giggle at her new contractor's antics, a hand raising to cover her mouth. "Oh wow, you really do take the royalty thing seriously, don't you?" She couldn't help with a little ribbing, before calming down and straightening out, though still smiling. "Very well, my emperor, I'll be waiting for you. Please don't take too long."

And with that she vanished right before his eyes.

 _Oy._ Lelouch thought to himself as he headed back to the doorway. _I've definitely saddled myself with another C.C. Oh well, at least she isn't calling me 'boy' or stealing my clothes...yet._ A horrid image suddenly assaulted his mind of the Witch and D.S. lounging together, dressed in his clothes and stacking up Pizza boxes. If that was his future... _Is it too late to call up Suzaku and ask him to kill me?_

Allowing himself one more teenage groan, Lelouch stepped out of the Thought Elevator and signalled to Alfred to return to his side. He'd achieved his objective coming here, though in a way that was certainly opposite from what he'd intended, and now there was a new potential ally that he needed to collect.

"Inform the legions to prepare for my arrival." He told his aide the moment the man stood before him, "And summon Marrybell."

Alfred nodded without question and took out his phone, immediately making calls whilst the White Emperor started to rearrange his strategy for Europe. _It would appear I'm going to Munich._

And then another thought hit him, one that he should have realised was going to cause issues but had calmly ignored due to the people it involved being an immortal witch, a former noblewoman with a grudge, and now a pan-dimensional entity that might or might not actually have a bit of himself in her make up.

"Alfred? How would the public react to their emperor taking multiple wives?"

* * *

 **Uther:** piloted by knight of one William Bishop

 **General Characteristics**

 **Crew:** One

 **Height:** 7.30

 **Weight:** 15.05 metric tonnes

 **Power Source:** Yggdrasil Drive, Energy Filler

 **Design Features:** Absolute Defense System, Cockpit Ejection System, Factsphere Sensor, Landspinner Propulsion System, Integrated Float System(also serve as the sheath for weapon)

 **Armament:** 10x Finger-mounted Slash Harkens, 1x double-bladed MVS, Left Handheld 6-tube Missile Launching Shield, Hadron Cannon mounted on the right arm, 14-tube Missile Launchers (6x Chest-mounted and 8x Leg-mounted (4x per leg)

* * *

 **Amber:Tertiary:** piloted by knight of two Cinder Fall

 **General Characteristics**

 **Crew:** One

 **Height:** 5.20

 **Weight:** 9.15 metric tonnes

 **Power Source:** Yggdrasil Drive, Energy Filler

 **Design Features:** Absolute Defense System, Cockpit Ejection System, Factsphere Sensor, Landspinner Propulsion System, Integrated Float System

 **Armament:** 4x Slash Harkens (2x Arm-mounted and 2x Hip-mounted), 2x Maser Vibration Swords, 2x Super V.A.R.I.S rifle

* * *

 **Uncle Teddy:** piloted by knight of three Peter Thomson

 **General Characteristics**

 **Crew:** One

 **Height:** 5.20

 **Weight:** 13.05 metric tonnes

 **Power Source:** Yggdrasil Drive, Energy Filler

 **Design Features:** Landspinner Propulsion, System Integrated, Float System, Blaze Luminous System, Cockpit Ejection System

 **Armament:** 2x x Shoulder-mounted Hadron Cannons, 1x Head-mounted rocket launcher (inside head), 1x Blaze Luminous minigun, 1x Diffusion Structure Phase Transition launcher, 2x V.A.R.I.S (back mounted)

* * *

 **Reaper:** piloted by knight of four Arthur Calhoun.

 **General Characteristics**

 **Crew:** One

 **Height:** 5.70

 **Weight:** 10.05 metric tonnes

 **Power Source:** Yggdrasil Drive, Energy Filler

 **Design Features:** High Speed Mobile Form, Flight Unit(optional), Factsphere Sensor, Cockpit Ejection System, Landspinner Propulsion System

 **Armament:** 1x scythe/ V.A.R.I.S, 1x MVS, 3x Slash Harkens

 **#**  
 **#**  
 **#**  
 **#**  
 **And we're here! any things happened in this chapter and I have something to say.**

 **1\. Almost all cahpter was about OC and their battles. And about their knightmares: Amber:Tertiary is twin sister of Lancelot Albion. Uther something between Galahad and Gareth. Uncle Teddy is mix of Mordred and Ahuramazda. Reaper is like Vercingetorix.**

 **2\. We don't know anything about Dimensional Supervisor so she can be called OC too in some kind.**

 **3\. I read your comments and decide to answer on some questions. In Lelouch harem will be 4 women (for now). I planned C.C, Cinder, DS and Kallen. Probably Marrybell and Kaguya. Schneizel in Brazil for now and it make sense because there must be people that still loyal to him. EuroBritannia colapsed.**

 **4.** **Marrybell will without geass because if she will then her geass will the same as Lelouch. I always thought that every human has his own geass that not like anyone else.**


	7. The issue of loyalty

**June 4, 2018:** **Britannian Occupied Tokyo**

"Now you just rest here for a moment, Ms Kozuki." The doctor told his patient, helping her to sit down on a bench in the shade just outside of the main building, before moving off to attend to another issue that had come up. That was fine by Ayano who was just happy to finally be allowed outside after nearly a year of bed pans and lying down all day.

The downside of course was that, after so long a time of not using her legs, her muscles had atrophied quite a bit leaving her unable to walk for long spells without taking constant breaks. It was an annoyance but one that she was willing to pay if it meant she was finally getting better...though it also served as a reminder of her foolish actions and what it had meant for Kallen to find her like that.

 _Kallen,_ her worried eyes turned skyward towards the airships still hovering over the Tokyo Crater, _my brave little girl._

Things had started to improve over the last couple of days, the additional help provided by the UFN and the Black Knights after Tokyo was split in half meant that a lot of the Britannian rescue teams could now come back and start helping more people. The result was a much more seamless operation and a quick reduction of patients. Of course there was still a lot to do which was why she'd been left on her own like this, but as far as Ayano could see it was a wonderful improvement.

Still, there were downsides to this new arrangement to go with the advantages. Most noticeably the division of Tokyo meant that people on either side of the new border were unable to communicate with each other which had caused any number of loud complaints. However, short of another war breaking out, Britannia and the UFN were doing their best to stay as far away from each other as possible so any chance of a renegotiation was unlikely.

This proved concerning for Ayano because it meant that she couldn't get in touch with the Black Knights. She'd followed them as best she could once she came out of her Refrain-induced coma and all it had done had made her worry for her Kallen's life. It was bad enough that she hadn't been there as much as she should have been, but to know that Kallen was out there fighting Britannia with her life on the line just made Ayano feel even worse.

She was so focussed on the airships that she didn't hear the approach of two figures behind her until one of them spoke. "Excuse me, Ms Kozuki?" She recognised the voice of one of the nurses - one of the advantages of being admitted to a small institution for so long - though she didn't glance around. "You have a visitor."

A visitor? Someone had come to see her? But that couldn't be right. Everyone Ayano knew, quite shamefully, were either former patients who had left before Tokyo was destroyed or worked at the hospital. There was no one outside of this place, apart from that awful woman her beloved was forced to marry, that she was even remotely in contact with. Except for...

Eyes going wide, she spun around to see who it was who had accompanied the nurse and immediately she felt tears rising in her eyes. Stood there staring back at her, also with tears beginning to grow in her father's eyes, was her beautiful baby girl. Her hair was combed down and she was dressed in high class Britannian clothing, but she would know her daughter anywhere.

For a moment the two just looked at each other, neither wanting to make the first move lest this all turn out to be a dream...and then Kallen said, in a very quiet voice, one word that Ayano had desperately been wanting to hear from her for so long: "...Okāsan?"

That did it. For both of them.

A moment later, Ayano was trying to get up to rush her girl but Kallen was faster and she ploughed right into her mother, hugging her as tightly as she possibly dared which Ayano joyfully reciprocated. For the first time in nearly a decade, everything felt as it should again.

* * *

The family reunion was everything Kallen could have hoped for and they spent nearly an hour just talking together about anything they could, although she did have to divert their conversation when it leaned towards the Black Knights. She knew her mother cared - something she'd never let herself forget again - but that was one subject she really didn't know where she stood on at the moment. Aside from that one slip up though there was no way she could possibly be happier.

 _I'll get it right this time._ She silently vowed to herself as she helped Ayano back to her room. _I swear I won't abandon her again._

It would be a difficult thing to manage, her pass wasn't unlimited and she'd eventually have to return to the Black Knights whilst her mother was still recovering from her Refrain addiction, but this time she wasn't just going to brush off the problem and hope it would go away. This time she would stick it out for as long as it took. She would make sure her mother came home safe and sound.

Speaking of safe. "So who are your neighbours?" She asked casually as they came up on their destination.

"Oh a couple of very interesting people, though I only really know one of them." Ayano replied, "The first is gentleman who was brought in after the battle ended, he's still unconscious but I'm pretty sure he's a Britannian soldier. Now Kallen," her tone turned reproachful and Kallen had to curse her body for flinching at the idea of an enemy soldier so close to her mother. Ayano clearly didn't care for it though as she went on, "there's no need for that. He's hurt and in need of help. Besides I think everyone's tired of all this fighting."

 _You're not the only one._ She thought to herself, considering how everything had gotten so mixed up, Kallen was pretty sure everyone just wanted to go home. But she couldn't help being wary, even with the ceasefire there was no knowing how long it wold be before someone sparked something off. Britannian pride and Japanese honour, she was starting to realise, were best kept far apart from each other.

Desperate to move on from that subject, she quickly asked, "So who's the other person? The one you know?"

To her relief, Ayano smiled at the mention, clearly she'd made a friend whilst being here. "Oh she's a nice person, very polite and dedicated to the people she cares for." Her smile wilted a little as she glanced around before carrying on in a slightly more subdued voice, "I haven't told anyone, but I think she might be one of your friends."

 _My friends?_ But she didn't know anyone here. The only people she knew were either on Ashford Academy's student council - _please don't let them have been caught in that -_ members of the Black Knights...but if the person her mother was talking of fell into the latter group...Kallen did her best not to tense up again, if there was one of their own here then she needed to get them out of here as soon as possible!

 _It shouldn't be too hard, this is a hospital, it's not like this place is crawling with security or anything. I could probably sneak them out in a doctor's uniform and get them back over the border before anyone knows what's happened._ It would mean cutting her reunion short but this was a security matter that needed to be plugged and quickly before this person was identified and sent to interrogation.

Any plans though went out the window though when she and Ayano slid open the door to her room and Kallen got a good look at who it was who her mother had befriended. She was suddenly certain that there was no way this person would talk...in fact she felt more than a little afraid for herself now.

The woman who had caught her eye looked up at them as the door opened, her own eyes slightly widening in recognition before calming right back down, so quickly that anyone who wasn't looking for it would have missed it. With that same calm image in place, she turned a pleasant smile her mother's way in greeting. "Ayano, I see you've brought back a guest."

"More than a guest, Sayoko." Her mother replied, smiling happily before presenting Kallen to her, "This is my daughter, Kallen. Kallen this is Sayoko Shinozaki, my fellow inmate in this dreadfully dull place."

Saying anything in reply was about the furthest thing from her mind right now. With that introduction the Britannian soldier in the room just took a sudden back burner in the face of this deadly woman. She'd only seen her in action once, during her jailbreak, but it was enough to know not to get on her bad side...and the person she was deathly loyal to was the same one she'd helped the Black Knights run out of the _Ikaruga._

Her bad feeling only got worse when Sayoko turned to her and shot that same smile she'd shown her mother. "Ah, so you're the Kallen that Ayano loves to talk about. It's a pleasure to meet you at last."

The cover up of their knowing each other seemed to confuse Ayano for a moment before she suddenly seemed to realise the need for secrecy and sent an understanding look her way. As for Kallen though it was further proof that things were going to get very bad very fast as she glanced over to her mother. _I need to get her out of here._ For now though, she'd have to play the part of concerned daughter and sent a shaky smile back at the assassin, "Y-yeah, pleasure's all mine, Sayoko-san."

She almost started when Sayoko gave her a brief 'hmm,' not losing her smile, before continuing. "Forgive me for the assumption, but would you be the same Kallen Kozuki who is the ace pilot of the Black Knights?"

This time it really was impossible for Kallen hide her flinch; what did she think she was doing?! If people found out who she was what would if they made the connection to her mother? Was Sayoko mad?! However the easy smile on Ayano's face told her that this was something that was bound to turn up so she had no choice but to reply.

"Well, I guess that's true." She said carefully, the less she gave away the better, her mother may think this was a safe place to talk but something was just nagging at her. Still she had to go on. "Though I wouldn't say I'm the absolute best."

"Really?" Ayano asked, her concern coming through clear as day at the idea that she could be hurt. Kallen hadn't told her how she'd been held prisoner by Britannia and had no intention of doing so if she could help it. That didn't keep her mother from worrying though as she went on to ask, "Does that mean there's someone who can beat you?"

 _Not anymore._ She allowed herself the momentary smug thought at finally having totalled Suzaku's Lancelot. Regardless of how that fiasco ended, that was the one bit of solace she could take from that day.

"There was one guy," she admitted, "though there was a lot of confusion about that battle. He's actually now one of our top generals." There, she'd told her about Xingke and hadn't had to lie about any of it because, to all extents and purposes, it was the truth. _I've definitely been hanging around Lelouch too long._ And with that one thought, her good mood was replaced with a sombre look that didn't go amiss by either of the women in the room.

But that didn't deter Sayoko from continuing this game of 'who are you.' "I seem to remember the reports that you were Zero's personal bodyguard." She said it with that same pleasant tone but, when Kallen looked into her eyes she could clearly see that smile only went as far as her mouth was concerned. The temperature in the room dipped an extra ten degrees as she went on. "That it was your sworn duty to protect him from all threats, no matter where they came from."

The way she said it...it took everything Kallen had not to back away. That look, a disguised glare of absolute hate and fury, it could only mean one thing. _She knows._ She didn't know how but somehow Sayoko had found out what she and the others had done. But against that stare, not to mention her mother's lack of knowledge about what had truly happened that day, all she could do was quietly admit, "Yes. I was."

Again she just let out another 'hmm,' before turning to her mother. "Ayano, the doctors came by a little while ago," she told her, "they wanted to speak to you. Probably a routine check up on your progress."

Ayano blinked at her couple of times before smiling and nodded. "I see. Well that shouldn't take a few minutes." She said easily, completely missing how her daughter had completely stilled at the idea of being left alone with this dangerous woman. "Kallen, stay here while I take care of this would you? I'm sure Sayoko is tired of talking to the same people over and over again."

That idea terrified her more than anything, "Mum, I'm sure I can spare a few min-" She froze up again though as deceptively gentle fingers suddenly gripped her shoulder. When had she...?

"That would be wonderful, Kallen." Sayoko said, now standing directly behind her, the happy tone in her voice causing any number of shivers to go down Kallen's spine. "I'm sure there are many things that you and I can talk about. Right?"

Kallen would have answered, but the terror in her heart kept her tongue from forming words. Ayano mistook her silence for reluctant compliance and nodded approvingly. "Alright then, I'll be back in a little while, these talks never take more than five minutes or so. You two enjoy yourselves." And with that she left the ward, Kallen unable to stop her for fear that Sayoko would do to her mother what she was almost certainly about to do to her.

For a moment nothing happened between them, silence held between the two as if the first one to speak would break some unspoken contest.

Inevitably, Kallen broke first and tried to speak but a cold pricking sensation on her neck silenced her again. Sayoko, however, was in a much more talkative mood.

"You know the wonderful thing about hospitals?" She asked casually, though the pleasant tone was giving way to ice with every syllable. "They're virtually an armoury for anyone with basic training with a blade. This one isn't the sharpest, or the toughest. In fact if I used this on you it'd probably take you a full ten minutes to bleed out, I can tell you that's not a pleasant way to die. But then..."

And now it really did sound as if she was being held by a block of ice as the grip on her shoulder went taut and Sayoko uttered the words Kallen had been dreading. "A clean death is the last thing a traitor deserves."

"Sayoko, please just listen." She was begging, Kallen was aware, but right now that was all she could do. "I just came to see my mother, I didn't even know you were-"

"Do you know the first thing my Sensei taught me?" The Thirty-Seventh Master of the Shinozaki School of Martial Arts cut in, her borrowed blade nicking just a little bit of her skin. "It wasn't how to kill my enemy, or to disable them. It wasn't even how to properly defend myself."

If Kallen could have turned around she would have seen the complete contempt on the older woman's face as she went on. "The first thing I was ever taught was to follow my lord, for he is my master. There is nothing more important than seeing his dreams brought to fruition, not even my own life."

 _She_ does _know. Oh Kami-sama, please not like this!_ Sweat was now starting to form on her brow as Kallen tried to think of a way out of this, not that she could see one. Sayoko had killed an entire regiment of footsoldiers single-handed in the government bureau, one unarmed teenage girl was nothing in comparison. "Look, Sayoko, you don't understand what happe-"

"The only reason I haven't slit your throat," Sayoko cut in again, her voice now just inches away from a snarl, "is out of respect for the woman who clearly isn't aware of the dishonourable coward her daughter has become."

Okay that really was going too far! "Look!" Kallen finally snapped, tugging forward for what good it did her as the assassin at her back simply gripped her tighter. "You don't know what happened that day! We finally learned the kind of person he really is! _He_ betrayed _us!"_

"Oh?" Sayoko asked back, not sounding like she had taken offence though it was hard to tell, though the unmoving blade would suggest she was still pissed off. "And what exactly did you learn about my master that day? How did he betray you?"

 _Right, he probably never told her about it._ She realised, silently hoping that that was her chance to turn this around. _After all, he never told anyone else._

Taking a deep breath, realising that she was about to destroy Sayoko's world by doing this, Kallen began her explanation. "Look, Lelouch has a supernatural power that can make anyone do what he wants. He used it on all of us, we can't even be sure if he didn't use it on his own friends. I know it sounds crazy but it's the truth. It's probably how he..."

The reason she trailed off was because of the effect her explanation was having on Sayoko...but it wasn't the one she had been hoping for. Instead of reeling back in disgust and shock, she had started laughing. It was cold and humourless, which was transferred to her tone as she spoke. "That's your defence? That he used his Geass on you?"

That wasn't what she'd been hoping for. Shouldn't Sayoko have been furious at her loyalty being bought like that? Kallen certainly had been when C.C. had told her about it, how could anyone be alright with such a power? _Wait..._ it suddenly hit Kallen what she hadn't said and what Sayoko had. _I never called it Geass._

Which meant... "You already knew about it?"

"But of course."

But that was impossible, Lelouch would have never told anyone such a thing. Not the Lelouch she knew anyway. "...How...?"

"Quite simple, you silly girl." Sayoko snapped at her. "I asked him."

"And he just told you?" She asked back, hardly believing what she was hearing, this didn't match up with the Lelouch who kept everything to himself at all. But if he had told Sayoko what he could do then that meant she knew all the things he'd done with it. "Then why?" She demanded. "Why would you follow him when you know what his Geass does to people? What he might have done to you?"

Her question was met with a snort of derision. "You think something so trivial would stop me from serving my master?"

"Trivial?!" What was wrong with this woman? Didn't she see anything a little bit wrong with this whole thing? "He used his Geass to make us all his pawns!" Kallen was short of shouting now, her feelings about everything Lelouch had said that day coming to the forefront, what he'd claimed, how he'd called their whole war a game, how he'd referred to her as his 'best piece.' "How can you be okay with being used like that?!"

But once again Sayoko had just started laughing in her ear. "How am I alright with it?" She parroted. "Stupid girl. I already know he used it on me."

 _What?_ That single statement derailed everything again, bringing Kallen up short. Lelouch had actually admitted to someone that he'd used his Geass on them? "When?" She had to know, what was so unimportant that Sayoko could forgive such an act?

The words Sayoko used in reply were the last she'd expected, yet she still remembered them to this day: "Glad you're still alive, Q-1. Sixteen-hundred hours the day after tomorrow, the observation deck at Tokyo Tower. Come alone."

The message that began it all, the directive that put her and her friends in contact with Zero. But that had to have been a recording...which meant that...but Sayoko sniffed again. "I assume his reasons for using his Geass on me in such a way was to ensure the trail never led back to him or me. Though if I had known the people he was joining were such opportunistic thugs..."

The threat lingered between them for a moment, though Kallen was still reeling from that discovery. But even so... "How can you be alright being used like a tool?"

"It's not being used," Sayoko stated, unmoved by such an assertion, "it's simply a matter of loyalty."*

Although following that declaration she sniffed. "But then what do you people know of such a thing? I had thought you, of all people, might have understood it." Such an accusal hurt, especially considering just how hard Kallen had fought for Zero, and then Lelouch. "Am I wrong? The first chance you had to get rid of him you took, and for what? A paltry land grab? Maybe a promise to be Japanese again from Schneizal? What was the bargain? What was so important that you ungrateful _kasu_ _*_ turned your backs on everything my master gave you?!"

"That's easy for you to say!" Kallen finally snapped, that last insult finally going too far for her to hold anything back anymore and she craned her head back as much as she could so her furious left eye could glare right back into Sayoko's own. "You always knew what you were to him! You were never worried that he might be using you! Never had to question if what he was doing was for our sake or his own desires! You never had to worry if your loyalty was nothing but a dream concocted by some sick bastard!"

Her eruption silenced both of them although, whilst Sayoko remained unmoved, her expression shifted to shock at what she'd just let out. All the worries and fears she'd been holding in ever since that day had just come running out, unable to hold themselves back anymore. Startled and ashamed at her outburst, Kallen turned away, the yelling bringing up feelings she had yet to deal with accompanied by tears.

As for Sayoko though it seemed that was what she'd been waiting for as the hold on her shoulder lessened a bit more. "So it finally comes out." She murmured, though whether that was meant to be heard wasn't clear. "You really are a foolish girl Kallen." She stated again, though this time lacking the calm spite from before and now just sounding downright disappointed. "You're so concerned over the possibility that he used you that you've missed a rather obvious clue that this isn't the case."

Confused, Kallen turned her head round again, the edge of the blade on her neck having backed off somewhat, so she could see the older woman's face. What was she talking about?

Sayoko didn't beat around the bush in her response. "Ask yourself this, Kallen: If Master Lelouch used his Geass on you all to be unquestionably loyal to him, how is it that you were able to betray him?"

That one single question was her entire undoing. She didn't even have to think about it too hard to understand exactly what sort of implications that meant: If Lelouch had commanded the Black Knights to be loyal to him and only him, how could Schneizal have turned them against him? If she was under his power, how did she hold up a gun to his chest and demand if he had or hadn't used his power on her? If she really was under his control...then why did she walk away from him?

There was only one answer to give: She wasn't under his power, had never been under his power, and that meant that... _No...no we didn't...we couldn't really have been..._ But they had. They'd been sucked in by Schneizal hook, line, and sinker, and betrayed their leader. _She'd_ betrayed her leader.

"B-but he s-said..." she stammered out, the last bit of denial and Sayoko's grip the only thing holding her up at this point. "H-he said we were n-nothing but..."

"He _lied."_ Sayoko told her firmly without a trace of doubt in her voice. "If there's one thing my master is good at it's lying. But only ever to protect, never to harm." Finally the blade that had been at Kallen's neck left it completely, though her other hand remained where it was. "Think it over, Kallen. Was there any way out?"

...No. There really hadn't been. Oghi and the others had already been there waiting for them when they arrived. They hadn't told her anything when they told her to get Lelouch, just that they needed to see him...they'd already made up their minds about him before hearing his side of things. No one had stood up for him, no one wanted to hear it...except... _Me._

She'd stood between them at first, ready to protect Lelouch from her own friends. Oghi and Minami had been up there, Sugiyama and Tamaki too. The moment she did that, they'd accused her of being under his control, not even waiting for an explanation. _I would have gone with him...and they would have killed me._ Her own friends would have shot her, people she'd known since she was a little girl. And then... _Lelouch._

He had crushed her with his words, smiling and laughing all the way...and in doing so he'd saved her life. _Then all the things he said, everything about being nothing but a piece in his game...that was all a lie?_

"I see you're finally beginning to understand..." Sayoko's voice was the trigger and without warning the grip on her shoulder vanished. Like a puppet that had lost its strings, Kallen collapsed to her knees on the floor the full weight of everything she'd realised hitting her like a Sutherland's tonfa. The older of the two just regarded her silently before sighing to herself and telling her, "Kallen, you serve yourself no purpose asking yourself what you mean to my master. Instead, maybe you should be asking yourself what my master means to you and why your betrayal of him offends you so much."

It seemed that was her way of declaring the conversation over as a moment later Kallen heard the rustle of bedsheets behind her. Getting up on shaky legs she turned around to see that Sayoko had returned to her bed, sitting up with a pleasant smile on her face and flipping through a small magazine. It was as if the last ten minutes had never happened.

She was unable to ask what the hell she was playing at as at that moment the door the ward slid open and Ayano returned with an intern on her arm, the same pleasant smile on her face as when she left. When she saw the other two by the bed she once again mistook their silence for a lull in conversation and chuckled. "Run out of things to gossip about already, have we?"

Still mute over everything, Kallen was saved by Sayoko who just offered her a nice little grin. "What can I say, Ayano? Your daughter has a lot of things on her mind that I think she was just glad to get off her chest."

"Oh really?" That sly tone did not belong on her mother's voice. "Boy trouble, is it?"

"Something along those lines." Sayoko replied, equally sly, sending a knowing smirk Kallen's way.

"I see." Ayano simply said in response to that, not relenting her own merciless little grin.

 _How the hell did this happen?!_ Kallen's face was going redder than her hair. Hadn't Sayoko just been threatening to kill her a moment ago? How the hell had it turned into interrogating her on her love life? And what the hell was her mother doing playing along with her?! _She's corrupted her! My own mother!_

"Okay!" She said, a bit too loudly, which just made the older women chuckle, "Well it's nice to see you're doing okay, Mum. I'll be by soon to check on you!" And maybe to get her out of here, away from the clearly evil Sayoko Shinozaki. Giving her mother a quick kiss and a last farewell to Sayoko she raced out of there as quickly as possible.

It was probably a good thing she didn't stick around though, that would've made for an awkward conversation when the silent male patient who'd been unconscious all the way through her and Sayoko's little showdown finally chose that moment to wake up and cast crazed eyes around, immediately demanding. "Where am I?!"

* * *

 **Rome, Ita** **ly**

It was amazing how ironic history could be. Once upon a time this city had been the heart of the greatest empire the world had ever known, at its peak stretching from Portugal all the way to North Africa and parts of the Middle East. A few years before it reached that point its current leader, Julius Caesar, had laid eyes on a distant little island country that the maps of the era had labelled Britannia. And naturally being an emperor who came, saw, and conquered, he decided he wanted this little nation for himself. After all, what could one island, populated by backwards barbarians, do against the mighty Roman Empire?

The answer, as it turned out, was 'quite a bit.' Instead of simply rolling over like all the other nations that had come before it, all those warring little tribes had come together and forged themselves into a powerful fighting force strong enough to push back against, and eventually force out, the legions of Rome. The best trained military of its era was defeated by a bunch of fire worshippers! It was the greatest humiliation of Caesar's life.

Fast forward the clock two thousand years later and the roles had been completely reversed. Now it was Rome that faced invasion from a mighty outside force. What had once been a barbaric horde now held the record as the largest empire the world had ever seen, outdoing the Roman Empire many times over. And that was before the new emperor came to power.

The city today served a number of roles: it was a refugee camp for many European citizens whose homes had been lost during the last war, though the promise from Emperor Lelouch that those who wished to live in peace would be left alone had thinned those numbers as of late and those who were left were either extremists or really pissed off with their government; as a member nation of the EU it was also a military hub where soldiers and officers ran to and fro in anticipation of Britannia's attack. And additionally, it had lately become the home base for the insurgent force that its fingers in many pies around the world, Peace Mark.

"Dian!" One such member of this organisation suddenly called out to his Chinese comrade, "Hurry up! We need to get these crates moved onto the ships or Spain'll never stay in EU hands." The young man who was talking was little more than a teenager with blonde hair and striking green eyes, holding one of the aforementioned crates of supplies in his hands. When the person he was shouting at didn't respond he gave the person a sharp kick.

"Ow!" Zi Dian, as he was called, rubbed his arm and straightened the glasses on his face that had gone crooked thanks to that unwarranted assault on his person. "Hey c'mon Oz, that hurt! Besides," he snorted in aggravation as he sat himself back down, "it's hardly like it matters any more."

"What?!" The aforementioned 'Oz' snapped at his lazy comrade, "Are you kidding? Have you forgotten that we're going to Spain to help the insurgents there?" As a long standing member of Peace Mark, Orpheus Zevon - former Britannian noble - had been part of any number of resistance groups against the empire and he took his job seriously. So when one of his people said something wasn't worth it he took exception. "What are you even on about?"

Dian observed his friend for a moment before sighing again and telling him the bad news. "We just got word from command. The Britannians blockaded every entrance to Spain by sea last night and the border with France is now being watched." His news had the exact effect he feared it would on Orpheus as he observed the colour drain from the youth's face. "As far as Command is concerned, Spain is a lost cause. We're now to focus on the home front."

And just as he'd expected, Orpheus's top blew off at their new orders. "What?! They just want us to abandon the people in Spain to those elitist bastards?! Those sons-of-!"

"OZ!" Dian shouted, again adjusting his glasses from his sharp head movement, waiting for silence before he went on in a calmer tone. "I understand your feelings, but Britannia's fleets are far beyond anything our ships can match. If it was just seafaring vessels we'd have a chance but ever since those airships came into the game it's become a whole new style of warfare that we just can't repel." And the bad news kept on coming as he laid out the next bit he'd heard from the top ranks. "Even worse, reports are coming in that our people in France are either retreating or have been completely obliterated."

"What?" Oz asked, confused at this newest bit of intel. "I thought we had that in the bag. I know we lost out at Paris but with all our forces elsewhere...?"

"They were destroyed." Dian said, again gravely. "By new model Knightmare Frames. After we lost Paris, Emperor Lelouch sent his forces out into France to reinforce the Britannian positions. And virtually all the soldiers who survived report the same thing: they were fighting pilots who claim to be the new Knights of the Round."

"What?!" Oz asked yet again, "I thought they only had one! How many are there now?"

"At least four." Dian replied tersely, his mind rapidly going over the reports he'd gotten. "The forces at Metz were destroyed by Lord Bishop; the battalion sent to take the Netherlands was completely wiped out, only one team survived and even then it looks like they were _allowed_ to escape; Luneville's survivors can only talk about either the fires of hell raining down on them or some mad man laughing in their ears; and as for the Alexander unit that was retreating through the forest at Saint Dié des Vosges," here he actually shuddered at what he remembered reading "all the single pilot that survived could babble about was Death itself hunting them all down."

"In comparison," he went on to say, "all we have is the Alexanders that the EU gave us and some of the machines Rakshata made for us before she went to Japan." Here he shook his head. "If this was only four months ago I'd say that would be all we'd need but now..." He just sighed again in defeat.

"Well..." Oz started in that tone that told Dian whatever he was about to say was something he was going to hate. "I can't do much on my own with just the Byakuen...but if we launched a strike on-"

"NO Oz!" The older of the two immediately snapped, knowing exactly where this was going. "We have spoken about this a thousand and one times! On no account will we attack Great Britain!" How many times did he have to force it down this kid's throat that such a move was clearly suicide? It didn't matter the numbers they sent, big or small, Britain - and island nations in general - had the advantage in that they were cut off from the continent. To keep any battle going there they would need supply routes established to keep the soldiers going. Without those all the defenders had to do was outlast them. Add on the fact that as soon as it had been retaken the Britannians had reinforced the defences along the shore in such a way that they would never lose it again and Britain was now the ultimate natural floating fortress.

Sighing at having this argument again, Dian laid tired eyes on his young comrade. "Look, Oz, you're a good tactician, no one's denying that. But even if, by some miracle, you took Britain, that wouldn't get rid of the fleet."

"I know, I know!" Oz growled, clearly not done trying to convince him. "But with that thing the EU has! If we launched our machines from the stratosphere we'd be able to make it!"

 _As if Britannia isn't just waiting for them to try that._ Dian thought privately, there was no way that they hadn't been looking for a way to neutralise the rocket re-entry tactic. Out loud he just said, "Can or can't, it's not up to us to decide what to do." It was disappointing to say it like that but it was the truth, even if it was a sad truth.

Sighing again at the mulish look on the kid's face he decided the best thing to do would be to redirect his focus. "Look, you should check on our new recruits. At the very least they're potential members for your team."

His distraction worked going by the way Oz suddenly perked up in remembrance at those two new kids they'd picked up a little while ago. Sighing at that he nodded, "Yeah, I probably should. It's about the only thing I can do these days." And with that the lad stalked off towards the barracks.

Dian watched him go for a bit before shaking his head ruefully and sitting back down. _He's a good kid but dang if he needs to cool down._

Still it was pretty hard to imagine that the Brits had come all this way over the last two millenniums, ready to conquer the nation that had failed to conquer them so long ago. _Maybe we'll get lucky..._ but he just snorted. _Yeah, like we'll get that after Paris. Bonaparte_ _must be rolling in his grave right about now._

Yep, history was a really ironic thing.

* * *

Orpheus Zevon was still in a bad mood when he found the people he was looking for in the barracks, the two newcomers who had been hoping for a crack at Britannia as much as he had: a boy with a slender figure, messy silver hair and blue eyes, and a young girl probably only about sixteen years old with long blonde hair and red eyes.

"Hey guys!" He called out to his new friends who looked up at him eagerly, no doubt hoping to hear the order to move out. They were not going to like what he had to say. "You might as well put all your gear down. The mission in Spain's cancelled."

"What?" The girl asked, disbelieving, "Why? I thought we were going to help the people in Madrid."

"Yeah," the boy complained, "and we were dragging all this stuff for an hour. You're saying that was all for nothing?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying Rai." Oz muttered, not liking that he had to tell them this any more than he had been receiving it. "High Command has decided it's pointless. Apparently the fact that Britannia is breathing down their own necks is more important than the people they're supposed to protect!"

His words were enough for all three of them as the other two merely scowled at his summary. After a moment the girl spoke up again. "You know Oz, if they're coming this way we'd better be prepared. No way that brat's going to just ignore us."

"I know Alice." He replied, mildly amused at the idea of her calling a boy at least two years older than her 'brat.' "He's made it pretty clear that underestimating him is a bad idea. Maybe..." he almost hated bringing up his next suggestion to this particular pair as he had delivering the news of their pointless preparations, "maybe we should ask the Black Knights for help."

He immediately winced at the dark looks Rai and Alice both sent his way at that. "Sorry guys, but we don't have a lot of options."

The two just continued to glare at him for a moment before Rai shook his head, "I just can't Oz...it still hurts too much." He claimed, placing a hand over his heart. "When I hear that name, all I think about is the Directorate."

And there was the rub. Both Rai and Alice were former members of the Geass Directorate headed by the mysterious being known as V.V. They were lucky to be out on assignment when the Black Knights came calling and completely destroyed it. Everything had been ruined and every member of the Directorate, many who had been their friends, had been slaughtered. Even Rolo was gone.

For Rai it had been a complete tragedy...for Alice it had been something far worse as she virtually snarled her objection. "Monsters! Every last one of them! Them and their Zero! Good riddance to him!" The Directorate had been more than just her home, it had been her life. Without it she had nothing...except a burning hatred that couldn't be quelled.

To some level Oz could relate, having been raised by the Directorate as well, although unlike the other two he had fled it with his childhood love Euliya. He couldn't say he liked the place or any of his memories of it, but it was the lifeline these two had been searching for and it had served him well to foster that connection so far.

Even if it meant having to accept some things about the Directorate he absolutely loathed. "Well then why not use your Geass, Rai?" He asked him, "Your power of Absolute Obedience could get Command to do whatever we want."

But Rai just shook his head. "Oz, you know my Geass only works on people near me and we have no idea where High Command is right now." He reminded him, "And besides, you know the health problems that thing causes me."

Wasn't that the truth? Whilst Rai's Geass could reach anyone who heard him he couldn't widen the range through radios or speakers, people had to hear his voice from his mouth. It was a really limited power...if only it worked by sight. As for Alice, her Geass was only really useful in combat so that was out too.

 _Dammit, setbacks at every turn and the longer we waste the more time Britannia has to conquer Spain!_ Oz was about to make another suggestion when he was cut off by his phone vibrating in his pocket. As it was only meant to be used for the most serious of conversations he immediately accepted the call, unsurprised to hear Dian on the other end. "What is it?"

 _"She's here."_

That was the extent of the message, but it was enough for Oz to understand the importance of the call. "Roger that." He replied and immediately hung up, turning his attention back to the pair. "I have to take care of some things. You two go relax for a while. We'll figure this out."

The two glanced at each other before shrugging and nodded at him, dropping their gear and heading back to their bunks.

 _This had better be worth it._ Oz thought to himself as he left the barracks...before immediately chastising himself for thinking such a thing. If the information was so important that _She_ had to come in person then it was more than worth it: it was downright crucial.

When he arrived at the room that Peace Mark had taken as their main conference centre, Oz was greeted by nothing but stale air. Still, having had to deal with this person on more than a couple of occasions he was sure she'd show up in the most aggravating way possible. He was proven right when a pair of hands slipped over his face, covering up his eyes.

"Count to one, Ozzy." A playfully alluring female voice whispered in his ear. "Guess who I am."

Instead of doing any of that, he just shoved her hands off his face and turned around to face the voluptuous young woman with long white hair and grey eyes, who pouted at him. "You're no fun."

"It's not supposed to be fun." Oz replied tersely. "Now what are you doing here, X? We haven't heard a word from you for a month."

"Business before everything, nothing after, as usual." Miss X muttered, playfully rolling her eyes at him, before dropping the flirtatious attitude and becoming serious. "Tell me, Oz, do you know anything about something called a 'Thought Elevator?'"

The name didn't ring a bell, "Never heard of it." Oz told her bluntly. "What is it, some kind of weapon?"

"Maybe," she shrugged. "It's all very vague. I came across mention of it from one of my EU contacts."

The EU? So they had some kind of secret device? _If that's the case, why haven't they used it yet?!_ He wanted to demand, but knew better than to think Miss X would simply tell him that. So instead he asked a more worthwhile question. "Where did you hear this?"

"In Brussels." She readily told him, "One of the soldiers there heard that Wizard guy talking with Smilas about it."

 _Wizard?_ She didn't know it but she'd said the magic word, now Oz was not only interested in this thing but also suspicious. He had never liked Wizard, the masked bastard always showed up at the worst possible times to screw up his work. And even if he had saved his life in the past that didn't change the bad feeling Oz got whenever he was around. _Huh, seems I have another thing in common with those two._ He thought to himself wryly. _There's a man in a mask who likes to make my life hell as well. Only difference is mine is still alive._

Aside from that though, if this thing was of interest to Wizard then it was of interest to Oz. But that couldn't be all that Miss X was here to tell him. "Anything else?" He probed.

"Yes, I don't know what it is exactly, but it might be even more important than that elevator." And now he saw something truly rare when it came to dealing with this woman: Miss X appeared unnerved. "There's information suggesting that Britannia is secretly building some new kind of weapon of mass destruction."

That was enough to get alarm bells ringing in Oz's mind. He'd heard of the kind of destruction of Britannia's newest weapon in Japan, over twenty five million dead, friend and foe alike. And now they were making something else? _Guess even the 'White Emperor' has a black side._ Oz thought spitefully, before urgently pressing on. "What do you know?"

But to his ever growing concern, Miss X sighed. "Far less that I'd like. The damn project is under all kinds of security programs a firewalls. Whatever it is they don't want it getting out. The only thing I got was it's name, and it's not a cuddly little thing like 'Project Freyja.' This one's titled Project Nemesis."

 _Ominous._ He couldn't help thinking to himself, clearly Emperor Lelouch liked his theatrics. Then again he piloted a Knightmare that could destroy entire armies at a time so maybe that shouldn't surprise him. But if Miss X couldn't get in then there was no point pursuing it right now.

"All right, then for now focus your efforts of this thought elevator thing." He decided after a moment, there was no way that thing was unimportant and it was also unlikely that Wizard would ever share the knowledge of why it was so. Therefore they'd have to use espionage.

His orders delivered, Oz moved to take his leave but was halted when Miss X embraced him from behind. "Oh come on Ozzy!" She whined petulantly, hugging him tightly and rubbing against his back. "I've been gone all this time, finding all these juicy secrets for you, and I don't even get a reward?"

Stifling a long suffering groan, Oz quietly accepted his fate. He'd learned long ago that trying to argue with this woman was like getting a rock to bleed. "Fine, fine." He muttered and took out his wallet, chucking some euro bills at her which she snatched out of the air. "Now go buy yourself your ice cream. I have actual work to do."

And without further ado he fled the room before Miss X could grab him again. Sometimes he wondered if he'd be better off without that insane woman and her odd cravings.

Maybe that was why Lelouch had taken so much of the world already: he didn't have a damn succubus breathing down his neck!

* * *

 **France, Arras airspace, _Grandberry_**

Anticipation was rife in the minds of the Glinda Knights as their Caerleon-class airship headed out for Brussels. According to Princess Marrybell, Emperor Lelouch had finally called upon them with a special mission that only they could hope to accomplish. There was some concern over the absence of General Schwarzer, but the consensus was that so long as they had their princess there was nothing to worry about. Heck she didn't even seem very concerned with the situation at hand if her lazy smile was anything to go by.

Still, the crew knew that any battle could be their last so many of them were tying up loose ends. One in particular, Leonhardt Steiner, was currently using the vid-phone in his commanding officer's quarters to call a friend of his fiancée, both of whom were former members of the late Luciano Bradley's Wild Valkyrie squad that had been utterly destroyed during the second Battle of Tokyo.

"How is she?" He asked for the umpteenth time.

On the screen, the blonde haired girl just rolled her eyes, "As I said the last time you asked, Leo, still out cold." She told him in a tired voice, though she was unable to keep her own concern out of her voice. "She was hit the hardest by that red monster."

"Hmm." Was all the response he gave her, his own feelings about the situation saying enough. He'd begged Marika not to join up with Bradley, if she wanted to be in the military fine, he could respect that - hell he admired her for it - but not with that damned vampire who killed as many allies as he did enemies! But ever since the death of her brother she'd been insistent in doing more for the empire. Not that he was complaining, Leonhardt had never liked Kewell Soresi all that much - for him to be killed by an 'Eleven' of all things was poetic justice as far as he was concerned - but for Marika it just sparked off some ridiculous idea that she had to atone for her brother's idiocy.

It had been the source of many an argument between them, but right now the only thing he cared about was that she was okay. Although the never ending phone calls to the other side of the world was starting to grate on the rest of the crew, no matter how sweet it was.

Finally sighing, Leonhardt nodded at Liliana, "Okay, I'll phone back later."

"And I'll say the exact same thing." She replied wryly. "She'll wake up Leo, give her some credit."

He just nodded again and ended the call, hanging up the phone and slumping back on the chair he was sitting in, his friends watching him with mixed levels of sympathy, pity and annoyance. His best friend - and now the only other guy on their team with Johann's disappearance - Tink Lockhart broke the silence with an understanding line. "You know, Leo, it's good of you to worry about you future wife, but Lili's right about this."

"I'm with Tink on that." Sokkia Sherpa readily agreed, "Leo, she was fighting against the Red Lotus and survived. Give her time to recuperate and she'll be back on her feet in no time."

"I know, I know," Leonhardt replied testily, his own feelings on the situation bubbling underneath the surface, "it's just that...argh!"

He let out a frustrated growl and slouched forward, uncaring that Princess Marrybell was sat directly across from him, her Knight of Honour giving him quite the stink eye. He just felt so powerless! Marika was a world away fighting for her life and now he was headed into battle himself when he should be at her side!

Still, knowing her, she would probably be more angry with him than understanding if he told her he'd abandoned his post to look after her rather than doing his duty to Britannia. Stubborn girl wouldn't accept help from anyone - _that's why I love her, though._ Letting out one final sigh he pushed himself up, shook off his melancholy face (Marika would've kicked his ass for that as well) and stood from his chair.

"Never mind." He stated forcefully, he'd made the call and gotten the same news, that's all there was to it. "Right now we have a mission from our Emperor. That's where my head should be at."

Across from him, Princess Marrybell smiled in approval, "A fine idea indeed." She stated before turning to her maid at her left hand. "Toto, what's our status?"

"En route to the border with Belgium where an air fleet is waiting for us." Her loyal helpmate answered dutifully, "Once we link up with them we'll have the numbers to push into their capital whilst His Majesty cuts through the Netherlands with his sky fleet straight to Germany."

"So in other words we're right on schedule," the Princess summed up before standing from her desk, causing all her knights to stand to attention. "Listen well now, my knights: Our primary mission is two-fold; One, the ousting of the European occupying forces in Brussels, thus reclaiming Belgium as a Britannian territory; Two, the capture or elimination of this man."

She tapped her fingers on a few buttons on her desk and a screen lit up behind her, showing the image of their target: A man in a mask, dressed even more extravagantly than their old enemy Zero; this was the man Emperor Lelouch was so worried about?

"This individual goes by the name 'Wizard." Marrybell told them all. "He is the commanding officer of all EU forces in Belgium and if intel is to be believed a close confidant of Gene Smilas. If he is removed from the war, the EU will lose a powerful commander and Smilas may be forced to face us himself instead of hiding away, wherever he is. But more immediately, his removal will cripple the EU forces in Brussels allowing the first half of our mission to go much more smoothly." Another tap on the desk deactivated the screen and the Princess returned her attention to her knights, "Are there any questions?"

Actually there was one on Leonhardt's mind and he took this chance to raise it. "Just one, Your Highness. Forgive me but, why are we being given this mission?" He asked her, letting his confusion out. "Not to paint them in a bad light but isn't assassination OSI's job? Why send us?"

His question raised a small murmur of agreement from the others, though it was silenced by a raising of the Princess's hand. "I asked the same thing of His Majesty when I was given this assignment." She revealed, "You're right, usually OSI would be the ones to deal with this, however if you would look again at the information on Wizard..."

They did so, this time from their small portable tablets, and quickly scanned through the data. To Leonhardt it didn't look like anything was missing: a name, some idea of his height, and a few mugshots from satellites in orbit - bit of a clown from the looks of him. When they looked up at her in askance, she explained. "That dossier was put together just last night with _all_ that we know of him."

Wait seriously? He looked at it again and this time the gaps in the knowledge came through. 'Wizard' was an alias, not a name; the height was ranged, so likely based on guesswork; the mugshots themselves spoke for how little coverage they had on him; and for a dossier there was little in the way of listing what this man was capable of, just 'suspected terrorist in collusion with European forces.' That wasn't nearly a satisfactory description of their target, near shameful work on the part of their intelligence network.

Seeing that he and the others realised her point, Princess Marrybell continued. "This was all that CIA and OSI were able to gather together between them, which has His Majesty seriously concerned. Such avoidance shouldn't be possible...unless..."

She let the statement linger for a moment before the gathered knights suddenly let out disbelieving gasps. "Highness, you can't be serious!" Sokkia exclaimed.

"I am dead serious." She rebutted, her sharp frown saying it all. "It's very possible that this man was born a Britannian of high status. High enough to know the workings of our intelligence bureaus and how to avoid them." Her gaze fixed back on Leonhardt who had gone slightly pale. "Do you understand now why it is us who must do this, Sir Steiner?"

The question almost sailed over his head as he tried to come to grips with what he had been told. One of their own had turned traitor. This wasn't like the Breisgaus whose daughter was now their enemy, she had grown up not knowing different. This man, if what His Majesty and clearly Her Highness believed was true, had been a member of their society for years. What could possibly have caused such a reversal of loyalty?

 _It doesn't matter the reason._ A voice spoke up in his head, angered at the notion of a sworn sword turning his back on his duty. _He abandoned his people. He's a traitor. And if there's one thing His Majesty has kept the same from the old regime, it's how we deal with traitors._

That cold thought crystallised his resolve and he gave his Princess a sharp salute. "Yes, Your Highness." He stated crisply, "I have no objection to seeing this despicable man brought to justice."

The Princess regarded him for a second, her hard stare remaining for a moment longer, before it softened and she gave him a smile. "Very good then. Now I'd better let the rest of the crew know what's going on." So saying, she flicked on the on board speaker system and spoke into a mike on her desk. "Now hear this, crewmen _,_ we are now underway to fulfil a mission of dire need to His Majesty. That mission is the retaking of Belgium through Brussels."

As expected she didn't mention the other part of their mission, instead going straight on to the bolstering part of the speech. "It is expected to be a harsh fight, the EU's presence in the east is already failing so they won't give up easy, however I rate each and everyone of you good soldiers worth ten of their own bogged down amateurs! You are amongst the finest our empire has ever produced and a credit to His Majesty!"

"So we shall carry out this mission, we shall succeed, and we shall bring peace back to this world!" She declared, her voice full of determination and forcing the Glinda Knights to stand even straighter, pride filling their chests to be in service to such a grand woman. "Now let us begin! For Britannia and Emperor Lelouch!"

Her final declaration was echoed throughout the ship with resounding cheers of "All Hail Britannia! All Hail Lelouch!" Which just made her knights smile all the more.

"And All Hail his bride to be! Marrybell vi Brit-!" That was as far as she got though before Oldrin Zevon at her side suddenly whapped her on the head with a rolled up magazine. "Ow! Oz! What was that for?!"

But Zevon just glared at her before whacking her again, "Bad Marry! What did I tell you?! Incest is wrong!"

The rest of the Glinda Knights just stared at the pair of them, their ramrod stances giving way to amused snorts as time went by. Yes, their Princess was tough but damn if she wasn't a perverted little thing. It made them glad they had Oldrin as her morality pet or Leonhardt suspected their ranks would be filled with far more women than was already present.

That didn't stop the Princess from trying however as she dodged another attack from her Knight of Honour. "But Oz! We're only half-siblings! It's not like that would be anything new for- ow!"

Oz got in another hit, this one landing front and centre on her forehead. "No! Bad Marry! Bad! No incest!"

"But-" She tried one last time but Oldrin just sent her a glare, holding a lifetime and friendship of having to deal with this, that immediately had her rethinking her words if she wanted to live long enough to reach Belgium.

* * *

 **Special Administrated Zone of Japan,** **Tokyo Crater,** ** _Ikaruga_**

After having some time to cool down after the absolutely unfair tag teaming from her mother and Sayoko, Kallen found herself feeling more than a little bit antsy about returning to the _Ikaruga,_ a place where people shot first and refused to ask questions later. She made an immediate point of ignoring Oghi and Minami when they tried to ask her how her mother had been. If they wanted to know then they could get a damn pass of their own and visit her themselves...of course that would mean coming face-to-face with a pissed off assassin, but oh well.

 _No, that's too cruel,_ she reconsidered after a moment of soul searching, _what's the point of revenge if I can't stomp on them in my Guren first?_

But alas, some part of her - a small, insignificant, never-going-to-come-to-the-forefront-ever-again part - still regarded them as friends so at the very least she ought to not kill them where they stood. She was still a Black Knight, even if she really didn't feel it anymore, so at the very least she ought to strive for the aims of justice and fairness that Lelouch had taught her to strive for.

So she got in the lift, still ignoring the two Benedicts, and rode it all the way back up to the bridge where Xingke and, a bit more surprisingly, Kaguya were discussing a matter between them. When they saw the lift doors open however, they paused in their talk and the young chairwoman turned to address her.

"Captain Kozuki." She greeted happily, "I trust everything went alright in the Britannian settlement?"

As it was coming from someone who actually had no part in the Black Knights' coup, Kallen allowed herself to smile and replied politely in kind. "Better than alright." She told her gratefully, "I found my mother. She's still recovering but she's alive and well, and that's all I could've hoped for."

The young lady smiled, genuinely glad for her friend before continuing. "That is wonderful news indeed, Captain. Some good news for once, regardless of the scope, is a welcome change."

"Hmm..." For a moment, Kallen debated about telling her and Xingke that she'd also found Sayoko alive as well but at the last moment she decided against it, she never actually told her which of the core group had betrayed Lelouch. If Kaguya went, even as a diplomat, Sayoko was likely to hold her hostage...and maybe not with something blunt this time but an actual scalpel. As for Xingke, he was a soldier; Sayoko would have no misgivings about killing him the first chance she got. And considering the fact that Kallen had only just survived her encounter...it was probably best to keep that to herself.

For now though she had to focus on the present, namely the unspoken bad news that Kaguya had hinted at. "Is something wrong?" She asked them both.

"Potentially." Xingke admitted grimly, probably the subject they had been talking about before her arrival interrupted them. "There seems to be some upheaval in Russia that could spill out into the UFN if left unchecked. We want you to go to Kazakhstan to check it out."

 _Kazakhstan?_ Talk about a far away mission...but quite frankly anything would be worth it to get away from these backstabbers - no offence intended to Kaguya and Xingke - still she had to ask. "Am I going alone?"

"Of course not!" Kaguya stated, sounded offended at the idea of leaving her without backup...not that she needed it really with her new Guren but it was the thought that counted. "We'll be sending Tamaki with you." Then again...

Still it wasn't as if the idiot was a threat, at the very worst he'd trip over an invisible pebble and cause the auto-eject on his Akatsuki to go off. And besides, of the lot, he'd seemed the most torn up about Lelouch even if he had gone through with it in the end. Still she'd be keeping an eye on him.

Nodding she saluted and left the bridge without a word.

If she was honest with herself, the solitude this mission provided would also help her with another issue that had popped up thanks to Sayoko. Her last words to her...

 _What does Lelouch mean to me?_

Once upon a time that answer had been obvious: He was a conspicuous jerk that held himself above everybody and had no dreams of his own except to live a comfy life under Britannia's boot; in short, everything Zero wasn't. But then Suzaku had to go and make it complicated by unmasking him to reveal Lelouch and Zero were one and the same. For months she'd tried to reconcile the two, how could Lelouch be the man in the mask who she idolized? It just hadn't made sense.

When she and C.C. had recovered him and set off the second rebellion she thought she'd got it figured out: Lelouch was a cold, secretive man who didn't let anyone close, either because he trusted nobody or because they weren't supposed to be close. And yet there had been moments, just short moments, when something else had peeked through; a kind, sensitive young man who genuinely seemed to care about the people around him.

But then Schneizal came and had to ruin it all, forcing him to state that they were all a bunch of idiots for letting him get away with his 'game' for so long. At that moment she'd felt her heart break, that all she had been was just his tool for his pleasure was the worst possible conclusion she could have come to. But now Sayoko said he did it to save her?

 _Lelouch, I can't figure you out._ Kallen thought to herself as she made her way to the hangar. _I want to believe in you, I really_ _do. But I also want to believe that what we're doing, even if you're not at the helm anymore, is the right thing. But if it's not..._ She felt a shiver at the idea that the Black Knights were going down the wrong path, and that she might have played a hand in guiding them down it truly turned her stomach.

 _If we're not what we're supposed to be Lelouch._ She thought to herself as she finished changing into her pilot suit and headed out to the bay where her Guren S.E.I.T.E.N. was waiting for her. _If we're no longer knights for justice, then please come back._

"Kallen Kozuki, Guren S.E.I.T.E.N., now launching!"

 _Please Lelouch, come back and save me one last time._

* * *

 ***Message from the co-author: _kasu_ literally translates as 'dregs.' It seemed appropriate for people who betray their leaders for some half-baked promise. I didn't use the more common _kuso_ because that's when you're cursing out loud ('shit! I stubbed my toe!'). To call someone a _kasu_ is to call them dregs of society. In other words, 'little shits.'**

 ** _'The more you know...'_**

 ***Also, Sayoko's line is the same as Jeremiah's in the dub, word for word. Why? Because dammit, those two would make very loyal babies!**


	8. The Empire Strikes Again

**June** **6** , **2018, Flanders airspace, Belgium** **, _Grandberry_**

Belgium, Marrybell had decided from her observations, was a beautiful country, so it was hard to believe that just under half a century ago these lush fields had been the scene for the bloodiest war in European history. When she was younger, she had been shocked to learn of the death toll of that horrific half decade, Knightmares hadn't even been an inkling of an idea and tanks were barely what they had been by the time they were replaced. It had just been guns, knives and grenades. A far more gory affair than the warfare she had been taught.

 _I wonder what would have happened if Britannia had intervened._ She briefly wondered to herself; maybe Germany would have been forced to surrender unconditionally, making way for any number of concessions and reparations demands from France and their puppet state Britain, which would have fanned the fires of anger in the German people and likely have set off another war a few years later. _On second thought, probably for the best that we stayed out of it._

And now here they were, a fleet of ten _Caerleon_ -class floating battleships with the _Grandberry_ serving as the flagship, passing over the old scars that proved the EU's failure to live up to its own ideals. _They wanted a democracy and equal standing with each other, but the problem with that is that eventually everyone wants to be a little more equal than others. If they'd just established a hierarchy then maybe they'd be a more powerful force to be reckoned with. As they are,_ here Marrybell scoffed as she turned her gaze to the empty skies ahead of them, _they're barely keeping up with us in terms of land warfare technology, never mind the air._

It was true, the EU's avian technological research was non-existent. All they had were fighter jets that they continued to use as much as possible in the field, primarily for their speed. However, their numbers were limited to the number of airbases that could respond to a given threat at any time. Without a carrier, like say an _airship,_ they were simply impractical in the current era. And as such, the Britannian fleet had been met with no resistance whatsoever as it continued on its way towards Brussels.

That didn't mean Marrybell was going to get sloppy however, Lelouch had trusted her with this and she wasn't about to fail him, and so she turned her attention away from the view to her bridge staff. "Status."

"We've received reports that our troops on the border have already taken Kortrijk." Elicia Markor, the ship's tactical officer, reported without looking up from her screen. "Additionally, Belgium occupational divisions one and two have engaged enemy forces in Mons who are putting up heavy resistance whilst divisions three and four are making their way towards Ghent."

 _Makes sense,_ she thought to herself. If she were the commanders of the EU forces, she would have put her defenders at Mons and Kortrijk as well in order to slow down enemy progress. However, the Europeans sounded like they'd already started to buckle if Ghent was now a viable target. Still, there was no sense in leaving things to chance.

"Send the _Drake_ and the _Cooke_ to back up our people in Mons, and the _Raleigh_ to Ghent." Marrybell ordered. _That ought to be more than enough to hammer them into submission._

"Your Highness," Elicia cautioned, "you realise that will diminish our own strength by-"

"I'm aware of the statistics." She cut her officer off, not missing a beat. "But His Majesty wants this war over as soon as possible. And besides," Marrybell now gave her a confident smile, "we'll be more than enough with just seven ships."

It was true as well, in the past the Britannian military never had enough power to finish off the EU. Oh, the emperor had allowed for enough strength to push in and take a considerable amount of land away, the acquisition of the African territories was proof of that, but when it came to the home countries and their forces, Emperor Charles had been incredibly stingey. But under Lelouch resources were a concern of the past, helped along by the establishing of the Special Zones making the native populace much more cooperative. Add in the influx of new soldiers from those same populations and the Britannian military had never been larger or more diverse.

After giving Elicia enough time to rally her orders, Marrybell then urged her to carry on with her report which she immediately gave. "We've received confirmation that the Channel Fleet has docked at Terneuzen and soldiers have already disembarked, heading for Antwerp."

"Perfect." It couldn't be better for them, Marrybell seeing clearly what Lelouch was up too: by taking the Netherlands first they prevented the EU from simply running north, and with the Knights of the Round harassing Germany they cut off any hopes of retreat east. The European forces in Brussels were effectively on their own, giving her and her knights the chance at a reckoning they'd long been waiting for.

If Marrybell was honest with herself, she was grateful to her brother for his last minute change in his strategy. Taking down Wizard was more than just a professional duty for her, this one was personal. That masked vigilante had crossed their paths one too many times in the past, putting her knights in any amount of danger - true he had once saved her Oz's life but in the grand scheme of things such an act was pointless. He was a thorn in the empire's side in a way the more well known Zero could have only dreamed of being, and now she finally had the all-clear to bring that man to face justice.

 _No one gets away with hurting my knights._ She declared to herself, turning to glance over at her throne where two of the Glinda Knights, Sokkia and Tink, stood on either side. _Not even a former Britannian._

She could have gone on monologuing, but the urgent call from her ship's interior operator, Eris Kschessinskaya. "Highness! Our ground troops are reporting incoming enemy fire directly ahead!"

"What?!" Spinning around to face the bow again, Marrybell quickly ordered them to bring up an image of what was going on down there. A moment later, the main screen came on showing their Sutherlands and Gloucesters exchanging fire with a fast moving target. At first she thought it was a division of Alexanders, that would certainly explain the speed problem, but as they got a better view of the machines their forces were being attacked by the crew could only stare in disbelief.

"Those are Vincents!" Tink shouted angrily, "Where the hell did the Euros get those?!"

"More traitors?" Sokkia demanded, glaring at the image as the Knightmares in question, painted dark purple, took off from the ground with the use of their float systems and peppered the older machines from above. At first Marrybell was inclined to agree, there was no way the EU could have caught up to them that quickly, but the longer she observed the image a more clear picture of the situation became clear.

"I doubt those are our own troops." She finally voiced, indicating with her hand the things she'd noticed about these enemy units, primarily the crescent-shaped antenna on their heads and the accentuated shoulder armour. "Those are the old command types. The Europeans probably stole them or got them off the black market."

Still, it was a bit worrying to see those machines in EU hands. The number of people who could have gotten their hands on just one Vincent Commander type was small, never mind an entire squad. Worryingly that number had once included a certain Second Prince who they were trying to hunt down; if he had thrown in his lot with the Europeans...

Marrybell shook it off, "Doesn't matter. You," she pointed at Tink, "get down to the hangar and launch as soon as you're ready." She didn't wait for his salute and immediately turned back to Eris. "Where are Oldrin and Leonhardt?"

"Already in the hangar, Your Highness." Her officer told her. "Lancelot Grail and Bradford are reporting ready for launch."

And despite the situation they'd found themselves in, Marrybell had to smile at her dear friend's initiative. _Ready for anything, right Oz?_

* * *

True to her princess's expectations, Oldrin had launched in the Lancelot-Grail the moment she was given the green light. Now, due to the sword-harkens her Knightmare carried on its back, there wasn't sufficient room to install a float system and as such the Grail couldn't fly. Therefore launching out of an airship that was flying quite high up in the sky was not what most people would call...healthy. Fortunately, Oz could get around such a short coming with the help of Leonhardt's machine which quickly docked with hers just before she entered free fall.

"Everything looks good on my end." He told her, his voice coming in over a private channel. "You good there, Oz?"

"All systems nominal." She replied, her focus entirely on the battle before them. As such, the moment she confirmed their clean docking, she throttled the Lancelot-Grail Cavalry's new engines and took them both streaming towards the enemy.

Up ahead, the Sutherland forces were doing their level best to keep the enemy Vincents off of them long enough for the Gloucesters - who had suffered the worst from this sneak attack - to switch to ranged weaponry. However, it was soon shown that once again Britannian ingenuity led the way on any stage, including outdoing their own past endeavours, as the seventh generation machines dodged and weaved around the field of fire without taking a scratch of damage. Once a group got into formation they immediately returned fire with their own rifles, destroying the Sutherland defenders, whilst another group who had armed their MVS lances rushed down quickly to strike at the Gloucesters.

It was a scene of carnage, one that Oz was more than prepared to repay them. As they came in range she targeted a lone machine that had gotten ahead of himself and flown too high, without saying a word she activated her left outermost sword-harken and sent it flying straight into the unsuspecting pilot's cockpit. Not satisfied, she reeled it back towards her and armed one of her Schrötter-steel swords in the Grail's right hand. As soon as the Vincent was close enough she cut the machine in half, causing it to explode.

"Well that got their attention." She muttered to herself as the Europeans turned at the sight of their downed comrade and immediately opened fire on her. In retaliation she launched all of her harkens, sword and slash, back at them, taking out a few float systems and one unlucky leg.

However it hardly did anything to tip the scale in their favour and the Europeans knew it too as they didn't let up on their attack, some actually diving in close to take a swipe at her. Luckily she was able to pull away in time but this was already getting frustrating, there were just too many of them for her Grail on its own to make any difference, even with fourteen harkens.

Bested by sheer numbers, Oz was forced to pull back up and away from the Euro Vincents to come up with another strategy.

"Well that didn't work." Leonhardt spoke up, sounding as annoyed as she felt. "Look we're getting nowhere with you just fighting them, and too be honest I'm a bit bored back here watching you do all the work."

"So what?" She asked back, "You want us to separate?"

"It'd give them something else to worry about." He pointed out, and a moment later a message appeared on her left screen indicating a confirmation to dissolve the Direct Link. "I'll deal with them in the air whilst you help our guys on the ground."

Even if she had thought it was a bad idea, Oz could see the advantages of having an air unit of their own in the skies that wasn't as huge a target as the Grail Cavalry was as advertised when another rifle round hit the Bradford rocking them both off balance for a moment before she self righted. Not to mention if she was on the ground they gave the Euros nowhere to run. It was logical and pretty much the obvious thing to do.

"Okay," she agreed, putting on a burst of speed to get the Grail closer to the ground, "as soon as we split get back up there."

"Hey, whose idea is this?" Scoffing she just hit the confirmation icon on her screen and the two Knightmares separated, immediately the Bradford launched into the air where it zipped in and out of the line of enemy fire in fortress mode. As he evaded the Euro Vincents' aim, Leonhardt brought his machine in close and launched his megiddo harkens into the closest two. Even before they had exploded though he had moved on, arming both his Dual Arms in their blade configuration, and started slicing up the idiots who thought it was a good idea to steal from them.

Whilst that was happening the Lancelot Grail plummeted to the ground, Oz launching her sword harkens at the Vincents on the ground. As intended, they scattered and she landed without a problem, immediately arming a second sword in the Grail's free hand. Her surprise arrival only lasted a second or so but it was more than enough for her to get to work, charging forward into the nearest batch of Vincents and cutting them up. Some tried to switch to close range but, as that left them open, Oz was able to use their distraction to their advantage and started to carve them to pieces as well.

Quickly the battle turned back in their favour, with the Vincents in the air falling prey to the Bradford whilst the ones on the ground didn't dare take off to escape the Grail for fear of running into the other ace pilot. It was an advantage Oz wasn't about to let slip by and she skirted around another rain of fire before slotting her right sword into her machine's forearm and activated the Sword Blazer.

 _Looks like they're just grunts after all,_ she thought to herself as she blocked an incoming attack with her left sword and fired her harkens into its chest, _I'd thought may they'd given the machines to a bunch of capable pilots but as it is..._ about the only thing these people had on their side was numbers and surprise, both of which they were quickly losing now that she and Leonhardt had arrived, even the Sutherlands had managed to regroup and were starting to score successful hits.

"OZ!" Marrybell's voice suddenly yelled through her radio, "Move!"

Her warning hadn't come a second too late as a Vincent she'd failed to notice came speeding at her from behind with its lance. Its aim would have struck true if Oz hadn't been warned and she just managed to get out of the way in time, striking back instinctively with the Sword Blazer right through the enemy machine's head and into the cockpit.

 _Dammit!_ She hadn't wanted to waste that on a single machine and had been hoping to use it on a group. As it was though she had to eject the spent Schrötter-steel sword, the blade having snapped off inside the enemy Knightmare's cockpit. Her distraction cost her time which the Vincents on the ground used to their advantage, regrouping and coming about towards her. Oz was quick to arm another sword, but a moment later it would be for nothing.

Her scanner suddenly blared a loud warning, a huge energy signal appearing on her left. Not waiting to find out what it was she immediately put the Grail's landspinners in reverse and floored it. The Vincents didn't seem to realise the danger though and they rushed right into the energy signal's intended path...and that was the end of them as a huge red ray suddenly engulfed them.

"Shit!" Leonhardt cursed from above her where she saw the Bradford also just narrowly dodging the same massive deadly stream. "That blast came from the _Grandberry!"_

Which quickly told Oz who it was who had just fired on them all as she turned to face their mother ship. A brief zoom in confirmed her suspicions and she let out a mildly annoyed sigh at the sight of the Zetland standing just outside the launch bay, its Mega Hadron Launcher deployed. "You couldn't have given us a little bit of a warning, Tink?"

"Heh, sorry." Their fellow Glinda Knight apologised, "I had intended to just give you guys a little fire support but well..." He trailed off at the massive gash his machine had carved in the ground before him where there had once been an entire squadron of stolen Vincents. "I guess wiping them all out at once works too."

* * *

 _A little excessive._ Marrybell thought to herself, though her relief at Oz's safety trumped everything else. _But I think I can forgive Tink for that heart-attack._

The Zetland's intervention had more or less won it for them, if nothing else than because if they were shocked then the Europeans had to have soiled their pants at that little display of power. Now it was just a matter of cleaning up the rest which the Lancelot-Grail and Bradford could manage on their own.

So thinking, she turned her attention back to her bridge staff, "Tell Tink to head back inside." She told Eris before switching to Elicia, "Connect us with my Emperor, he needs to know of this little delay." Not that this detour had slowed them down terribly but far be it for her part in his overall plan to be ruined because she didn't give him a forewarning.

Normally Marrybell would have stayed stood up from her seat to continue the image of a confident commander, but seeing as it was Lelouch they were calling she wanted to appear as calm as possible and sitting down would tell him that much. Also, sitting down had the advantage of pushing up her dress a little which in turn lifted her breasts up; Oz would never let her get away with that...but then Oz wasn't here right now was she?

Successfully hiding her little smirk, she turned to address the only Glinda Knight who she hadn't sent into battle and noticed the annoyed scowl on her face. "Something the matter Sokkia?"

The green haired girl just huffed, "I hate being sidelined like this." She told her, "Everyone else gets to go out and have fun while I, and my stupid Sutherland Eye, get left to gather dust!"

Sighing at her knight's complaint, Marrybell decided not to mention that it was the point of the Sutherland Eye to act as an in-battle data gatherer and not a combat unit at all (that would just serve to further infuriate Sokkia) and just patted her on the shoulder with a smile before sitting down in her throne. "We'll be in Brussels soon enough," she assured her, "I'm sure there'll be more than enough opportunities for you to fight there."

 _Assuming I don't need the Eye for intel gathering of course,_ she didn't say, but put that out of her mind as the main screen at last connected with Lelouch's ship, the face of her husb-brother smiling back at her. His smile alone was enough to get her heart pumping a beat faster, as if the man knew what he did to her just by looking her way, but Marrybell did her best not to show it as she greeted him. "Your Majesty."

At her side, Sokkia gave their leader a sharp salute along with the rest of the bridge crew. Lelouch however barely seemed to notice them as he focussed his attention directly on her. "Is there something the matter, Marrybell?"

Doing her best not to flush at the sound of concern in his tone she quickly, if a little bit timidly, reported, "I need to inform you we'll be arriving a little bit short of the established time, brother (curse their shared genetic heritage!). No serious problems to report."

Her statement however just caused him to raise an eyebrow. "No serious problems and yet you've hit a delay?" He asked her, his smile slightly slipping from his face. "I doubt something mediocre would keep you at bay so long Marry."

"Y-yes of course," she did her best not to stammer at his high expectations of her, "but you see, Your Majesty, we're just finishing off a European squadron that ambushed my ground troops."

"Go on." He urged.

"Well...you see..." how was she supposed to say that their brother had done this to them? Yes he was a traitor but for him to go so far...In the end, under the emperor's curious stare, Marrybell just sucked it up and told him point blank. "They were using Vincents, Lelouch, the Command model to be exact."

For a moment the image on the screen went unchanged, Lelouch not budging an inch as he no doubt pondered the significance of such news. "I see." He said at last, no inflection in his voice to tell her what he thought of the information. He didn't dwell on it too much though as he asked a moment later, "What are your casualties?"

"We're still counting." She told him, unable to hide a cringe at her own words. "But earlier numbers suggest we lost fifteen Sutherlands and maybe double that number of Gloucesters. But rest assured," she quickly moved ahead like he had done, her voice filling with determination, "we will make it to Brussels and we will succeed there."

Her words seemed to ring a chord with Lelouch as he sent her another pleasant smile, "I never doubted you would, sister." He told her in that same praising tone that did nothing for her complexion. "What time do you estimate you'll arrive?"

With the losses still unconfirmed - though she could speculate - and with her having diverted three of her own ships elsewhere, Marrybell quickly took a moment to go over it in her head. "Allowing for time to regroup our forces and repair those machines that can still be used..." she started carefully, before her countenance changed to one of absolute certainty. "We will engage the European's first line of defence shortly after sundown."

"Excellent!" He praised her, clearly happy with his decision to leave Belgium to her. "You've done very well, Marry. I will await your next report when I hope to hear that Brussels is once more a Britannian territory."

She couldn't help beaming at his confidence in her. "Of course, Your Majesty. By the way, how goes the invasion of Germany?"

"Quite well." He told her proudly. "There were some minor scuffles in Essen but we crushed them easily enough. I'm actually just a little ways north of Augsburg."

That was shocking news to Marrybell, far be it for her to question her brother's competence as a leader but even she hadn't expected him to be so near his goal so soon. At the rate he was going he was likely to arrive in Munich in a couple of hours, barring any unforeseen setbacks. Whatever it was that the EU had there had to be very important for him to push in so deep so fast, and it perked her curiosity all the more considering that city had been her target before he switched their roles.

"If I may ask brother?," she began tentatively, continuing when he gave her an allowing nod, "you're interest in Munich is a mystery to me. Not that I'm not grateful to be dealing with Wizard myself," she quickly back-pedalled, "but as a capital city of an enemy nation, shouldn't you be the one to take Brussels?"

For a moment she was sure he wouldn't give her an answer, that she had overstepped her bounds in questioning his strategy. But then the moment passed and Lelouch smiled in understanding. "I can see why such an abrupt change would confuse you." He admitted gently before going on. "The truth is whilst I was in London I came into the possession of certain knowledge that something of value to me could be found in Munich. That was why I had you reassigned."

 _Knowledge? Something of value?_ What could he have learned in Britain that was so important that it required a shift of their forces? However, it then occurred to Marrybell that Britain had been a problem state for the EU long before Britannia had returned to its native home. There could have been any number of resistance groups there over the years that might have discovered something of great importance and now that Lelouch was in charge they'd passed it on to him. He was certainly more approachable than their father had ever been.

"So you've got intelligence on some sort of new weapon they've been developing and are on your way to stop them?" She guessed.

Evidently she was absolutely wrong in her assumption because Lelouch immediately scoffed and shook his head. "No, no. No weapon of any kind." He assured her before telling her, completely straight faced. "I'm off to pick up my fiancée."

He said it like it was nothing but as the words passed through the speakers, the entire bridge staff went silent. Elicia and Eris stared directly ahead, as if not acknowledging such words would keep them from becoming real; Toto glanced over at her mistress with concerned eyes, not saying a word but clearly fearing the worst. As for Sokkia, she was much more verbal in her summation of the bomb that'd just been dropped, though it was still a quiet, "Oh shit."

As for Marrybell...she carried a smile on her face and a twitch under her left eye. "Oh..." she said stiffly, her teeth not moving from their closed state, "So Britannia has a new empress...isn't that _nice?"_

"Well Britannia has _one_ new empress." Lelouch corrected her, apparently not noticing the change in his sister as he carried on. "I'm pretty sure there'll be a few others before long."

"Really?" The twitch was growing with each second that passed as her _sweet, handsome **brother** _ continued to talk. "Well, I suppose it is tradition for the emperor to take multiple wives." Inside though, Marrybell was screaming at such a tradition, hunting down whatever constitution allowed for such a thing and setting it alight.

On the screen though, Lelouch didn't see any of this as he went on, further terrifying her crew with every word he spoke. "I was at first a bit disconcerted at having more than one wife," he admitted, shuffling a bit uncomfortably, "but then Alfred sat me down for a two hour lecture on the stresses of being an emperor and how having several lovers was not just a past time but encouraged in our former monarchs because it actually helped him perform his duties."

"You don't say." She replied, her fingers digging into the arms of her throne, a vein popping on her brow. "How _interesting."_

"It is, isn't it." He agreed, once again missing the rather obvious tell that she was near critical pressure. "Well I should let you get back to work, Marry, wouldn't want you to fall behind your schedule. I'll talk to you later, bye now."

And with that he terminated his end of the connection...leaving a very terrified _Grandberry_ bridge crew to deal with their CO. Some time passed, maybe a few minutes, and no one dared say a word to her. They just watched her as she continued to face forward with her scarily pleasant smile on her face, her left eye twitching every couple of seconds.

At last it was Toto who gathered the courage to speak up. "Your Highness...is everything...alright?"

That seemed to be the trigger as suddenly Marrybell turned to face her, still smiling widely with equally wide eyes as she stood from her throne. "Perfectly well, Toto." She told her in just the wrong amount of calm. "Could you prepare my Knightmare, Toto, there's a good girl."

She didn't wait for a response and simply stalked off the bridge, creepy smile and all as she made her way to the hangar. No one dared approach her or stop her in her tracks, although they secretly prayed that the Glinda Knights had already destroyed the last remaining Vincents before the princess got out there.

Forget Euphemia. There was a reason Marrybell mel Britannia was called the Massacre Princess first.

* * *

 **Augsburg, _Avalon_**

Frowning, Lelouch turned to Alfred at his side. "Do you think Marrybell was alright?" He asked him, mildly concerned. "She seemed to be struggling with something."

"I didn't notice anything unusual, Sir." His aide replied dutifully, though his tone hinted at...something, but the young emperor quickly purged it from his mind. There were far more imminent challenges than that of trying to understand the mind of a teenage girl.

They'd just entered the airspace of Augsburg, well on their way to Munich. Scouts up ahead had reported a heavy EU presence up ahead but he felt there was little to be worried about. Though his ground forces were the older fifth generation machines, he'd made up for it with his own personal legions of Vincent Wards and Gareths who covered the air. As such, Lelouch had yet to lose ten per cent of his overall troops, though he had left behind a considerable number of units at certain locations in Germany as he pushed his way down south.

As he'd told Marrybell he'd faced resistance at Essen that was quickly dealt with and left behind a couple of divisions to restore order to the town, as well as to ensure that the garrisons in Dortmund and Cologne didn't get any ideas. After that his sky fleet had moved on, not coming across any substantial European forces all the way to Frankfurt, meeting up with a triumphant General Abramson, where he once again shed some of his troops to help the occupying forces pacify any remaining resistance.

And now he was only one city away from his goal, though if Lelouch was being honest with himself he wasn't too fond of spreading out his legions like this - D.S.'s warning about Leila Breisgau's anti-Geass had left him feeling somewhat concerned - but it was the only way to keep up the secret of his true intentions. So long as Britannia kept winning they wouldn't look too carefully into why their emperor had chosen to change tactics so suddenly.

 _So let's keep that winning streak going._ Lelouch thought to himself as he stood up from his throne and walked towards the tactical map. "Update on events." He snapped sharply at his bridge crew.

On his left, one of the communications operators stood from his chair and saluted the emperor. "Sire, Lord Jeremiah reports all is well and on schedule. He has successfully taken Konstanz."

Perfect, ahead of schedule even, just as he had come to expect of his Guard Captain. Nodding his approval, he ordered, "Tell him to head on to Switzerland then, and that I expect the same level of success."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The officer saluted again before sitting back down to carry out his orders.

Lelouch could say he was coming to enjoy this disciplined military he'd found himself head of. Though the Black Knights had been far from an unruly mob, they'd always lacked a certain sense of professionalism that he hadn't noticed until comparing them with the forces he now commanded. There had been exceptions, like Tohdoh, but for the most part even the Four Holy Swords had been less disciplined from what these soldiers were proving themselves to be.

 _Hmm...maybe I really was going about it all wrong._ He thought to himself wryly as he took a look at the map that was currently displaying the forward movements of all Britannian forces throughout Europe. Narrowing his eyes at one particular group that didn't show up on the screen he turned back to whisper to Alfred, "What's C.C.'s status?"

"The Lady C.C. is currently in Marseille." The old man reported, equally hushed in tone "Her search for contractors is ongoing."

"I see." Though internally, Lelouch couldn't help a small sliver of worry to pass through his heart at his Witch's absence. She'd been gone too long in her search, this was the third time in as many days that he'd heard she was still in that area of France. Had something gone wrong?

 _No, I mustn't think like that._ He chastised himself. C.C. could take care of herself, if she needed help surely she would have called by now...or so he hoped.

Still, worrying himself about it wouldn't do a thing and so Lelouch moved on to something he could actually influence, returning his attention to the tactical map and zooming it in on Augsburg. His frontal forces were about to engage the EU blockade around the city and it had to be said they were armed to defend themselves. The number of Panzer-Hummels alone were at least twice the number of his own ground troops.

However, Lelouch considered as he let out an annoyed sigh as the reports began flooding in that they'd engaged the enemy, Britannia had long since valued quality over quantity. "They never learn." He muttered.

"Sir, their numbers are considerable." Alfred cautioned him, noting as a few IFFs turned to red [LOST] icons. "Should we change our strategy?"

Though he recognised the sound counsel for what it was, Lelouch simply waved his concern aside. "There will be no need for that." He assured his loyal manservant, "There is nothing the EU has that my loyal soldiers can't weather."

His words were proven correct as the number of [LOST] icons soon came to correspond primarily with the Europeans' first line of defence.

* * *

On the ground Alfred's assessment of the situation was shared by the Europeans. Confident in their numbers, they let loose with everything they had the moment the Britannians came in range. At first it appeared to go well; a few Sutherlands went down, their legs blown off or their core ejection systems tripped by the rate of fire. It seemed to all intents and purposes that the empire had attacked with a force that couldn't possibly defeat them, their numbers being less than half of what the EU had brought to bare.

However that all changed when the Panzers switched to rocket launchers and opened fire on them. The rockets sailed forward and met their marks, the force of the impact kicking up a huge amount of dust that temporarily obscured the Britannian forces from view. For a moment they dared to dream that they had done it, that they had stopped the White Emperor in his tracks in his arrogant assumption that he could take the whole world into his grasp alone.

And then the dust cleared, revealing the Britannian ground forces to be completely unharmed thanks to an ominously familiar green energy shield emitting from the mobile command bases.

The Europeans weren't given a moment to realise what had happened though as the Britannians immediately went on the attack, using the lull in enemy fire to their advantage. The Sutherlands took potshots at the Panzers, keeping them off balance, long enough for the Gloucesters to streak forward and run them through with their lances.

Within seconds, the first line of the EU's defence around Augsburg had buckled.

* * *

"Marvellous, sir." Alfred commented, admiring the way their forces' IFFs swept over the EU's with next to no resistance. "Another flawless strategy on your part."

"Hardly." Lelouch replied with a snort of barely hidden disdain at the Europeans' stupidity for letting up on their defence in the face of something as harmless as dust. "They just weren't expecting the new G-1's."

He was referring to the three brown G-1 mobile command centres that had been refitted with a massive Blaze Luminous generator, the perfect tool to create an impenetrable perimeter. Clovis would certainly have had a better chance at living if he'd had this on his G-1 all that time ago. The trade off though was that the G-1's couldn't move forward whilst under fire and thus new forms of combat had to be thought up.

Fortunately, Lelouch had made a point of thinking up how to overcome these shortcomings and had decided to take a leaf out of the Spartans at Thermopylae.

Therefore, he was more than ready to issue his orders to his soldiers. "Divide the ground troops into three divisions, one for each G-1, standard Shield-and-Sword tactics. G-1's will provide layered defence of our troops, then the Gloucesters are to be sent in once a lull in enemy fire is detected." He paused for a moment to make sure everyone was listening - more bad habits from his Zero days - and then went on.

"They will establish a new frontal location under mid range cover from the Sutherlands. Once that is done, the G-1's are to move up and then re-establish the perimeter with cover from the Gareths and the Vincents will mop up whatever forces the Gloucesters missed. Repeat as needed." So not quite the phalanx of old but it ought to do the job.

His strategy declared, Lelouch cast a cursory gaze on all of his officers, "Is that understood?"

As one, the bridge crew gave a sharp 'yes, Your Majesty!' and at once got work carrying out their duties, the communications officers relaying his orders to the G-1 commanders on the ground.

* * *

It didn't take long for the emperor's orders to be put in effect, the orders streaming down from the _Avalon_ to the G-1's on the ground which quickly moved to enact his strategy. As Lelouch ordered, the Gloucesters and Sutherlands fell back behind the large shield wall of the command centres where they were swiftly broken up into three evenly distributed divisions and from there they waited as the Panzers unleashed everything they had on the G-1's to little avail.

Maybe a minute or so passed before they got the green light to charge forward, the Gloucesters leading the pack, out of the protection of the Blaze Luminous and straight for the enemy lines. It probably helped that this kind of attack hadn't been used in centuries that the Europeans were caught completely off guard in the first rush, the Gloucesters ramming straight into the Panzer lines with nearly no help required at all from the Sutherlands.

That didn't stop their ranged counterparts from shooting anything that moved as the large G-1's came up behind them, their Gareth guard taking potshots here and there leaving nothing in their wake. Once the area was more or less cleared the Gloucesters fell back behind the large command post, leaving the final pickings to the Vincent Wards that now dropped from the sky to pick at what was left of the enemy. It was a horrific sight, and the Europeans only got more scared when they were once again faced with the impregnable wall of the Blaze Luminous, the sequence set to start all over again.

And that's exactly what happened once the next line of defence was forced to pause to reload their weapons.

* * *

From above it all, Lelouch watched the battle with a tense critical eye. This was the first outing of his new command posts and he wanted to be sure what did and didn't work with them, already having found problems with his current strategy. _It's working well for the moment, but this is assuming the enemy we're facing comes straight at us,_ he considered as he watched Division 1 roll over another line of enemy IFFs. _If they came at us from the flanks, this manoeuvre would fail and the command structure would collapse._ Never mind he had the Gareths there to fire on anyone who got too close but any machine could be destroyed with the right tools, and that wasn't even getting into if they were facing an enemy that had flight capable Knightmares like the Black Knights.

His pondering was interrupted by Alfred who drew his attention to the tactical map. "Sir, they seem to be gathering for their final stand." He informed him, indicating a rather sizeable group of Panzers that had gathered together and were aiming in all directions for maximum spread of fire. A bold move, if incredibly desperate.

 _It would be better if they just surrendered._ Lelouch silently thought to himself, not for the first time amazed at the arrogance of the EU. Still those numbers could be problematic for his ground forces - the Panzers had arranged themselves in three lines, with only one firing at a time it seemed. First one line fired and then when it ran out of ammo the second line fired and so on.

Admittedly that was rather clever, and in the end probably the smart thing to do if they were up against anyone else...but they seemed to have forgotten he had air power as well as ground superiority right now. Therefore he turned to his communications operators and sent them his newest instructions.

"Tell Divisions One and Three to focus their efforts on the flanks. Second Division is to hold back until we've sewed some proper chaos and discord from behind their ranks." And for that he turned on a special communications line to his Vincent teams piloted by his legions. "Soldiers, you are to bring utter ruin to the Panzers before you, give no quarter!"

He was met by a zealous 'Yes, Your Majesty!' and then the white Vincent Wards descended upon the European machines even as the Sutherlands from Divisions One and Three tore at them from the sides. It was a grotesque way of putting it, but the Vincents were starting to feel more and more like scavengers pecking at leftover carcasses the more he used them.

 _Vultures..._ Lelouch turned the word over in his head before nodding in consideration... _Apropos._

He didn't have to wait long until the reports started coming in from all posts that the Europeans were surrendering as quickly as they possibly could after that. They had seen what he'd done to them when they had more than twice the numerical advantage against Britannia, and if this was what he could do with just that then Lelouch could imagine the terror they were conjuring up when they considered what he could have brought with him.

As for the mood of the Britannians, they couldn't be happier with their successful battle/field test, the crew of the _Avalon_ letting out a few happy cheers when it was confirmed the Augsburg was now theirs. Alfred himself gave Lelouch a happy grin. "Congratulations, Sir. Another grand victory."

He would have rolled his eyes at his aide if he thought it would do anything, but knowing that would get nothing out of Alfred, Lelouch just nodded and returned to his throne.

"We'll leave a detachment here to clean things up and keep the Europeans from hitting us in the back." He told the bridge crew, before returning his focus to their main target. "How long should it take to arrive in Munich?"

"Roughly three hours, just after sunset, Your Majesty." An officer replied.

Nodding at the estimation, Lelouch stood back from the throne he'd just sat back down in and vacated the bridge, leaving Alfred to call for him if anything changed. If they were so close to the target he might as well get some rest.

And who knew? Perhaps she'd visit him in his dream.

* * *

 **Brussels, Palace of the Nation**

The sun was dipping down on what could only be described as an absolutely wasted day. At least that was the opinion of Wizard as he stalked through the corridors of the Belgian seat of government. It was one bit of bad news after the next! First they lost Paris then the attempt to take the Netherlands failed spectacularly, as well as at least three more Knights of the Round joining Bishop for Britannia, and that had been barely within the first twenty four hours! Now Spain was more or less back in Britannian control, Switzerland was under attack, and they had virtually lost half of Germany when Lelouch appeared there when everyone had been sure he would invade Belgium first!

And on that note, damn those Glinda Knights! As if it wasn't bad enough that they were losing this stupid war Smilas had let that damn snake Schneizal talk him into, Lelouch had had to give Belgium to that old headache! They'd wiped out the entire Vincent division he'd sent out after them with barely a scratch, the Princess Marrybell herself taking to the field close to the end of it.

Now they were baring down on Brussels, not even at full strength if the reports were accurate, and there was nothing Wizard could do to stop the Thought Elevator in Munich from falling into Lelouch's hands! _If they find out about D.S..._

That didn't bear thinking of, so instead he let out a furious snarl cursing everything and everyone under the sun that he could think of. How dare they place him in this position?! The last thing he'd ever wanted was to face the Glinda Knights, and specifically their lead knight Oldrin Zevon, in combat again. She was so much like her twin Orpheus, so wrapped up in her foolish beliefs that she didn't see the truth right before her eyes!

In the end there was only one thing he could do in this situation, as such he'd sent out virtually all his forces to engage the Glinda Knights and their accompanying fleet to buy him as much time as possible whilst he hopped into his Knightmare and made a hasty getaway. In other words, a great big explosive way of saying 'Fuck this! I'm out!'

That had been his intention as he made his way to where his machine stood in the gardens of the Palace, when suddenly the entire building shook. For a moment he considered living in denial - they couldn't possibly be here already! - when a soldier of some middling to high rank came around the corner where he was steadying himself and came to a stop, saluting him. "Sir! Britannian troops have arrived in the city from the north!"

The north? Wizard blinked behind his mask, that couldn't be right. "What are you talking about soldier?!" He snapped at him, barely containing his growing agitation. "They couldn't have possibly already flanked us!"

The poor man under his command shuffled a bit before clearing his throat and continuing nervously. "Well...sir...these aren't Princess Marrybell's troops..." he gulped down a bit, as if knowing these were going to be his last words. "They're from Antwerp sir."

 _Antwerp..._ Antwerp?! _The north capital's already fallen?! How did they...?_ And then it hit him, how they could have done it: Terneuzen. That was why Lelouch wanted the Netherlands locked down first! He'd wanted to keep control of that damn port! Now all those soldiers who'd had virtually nothing to do after the Knight of Two destroyed the EU's occupation force had been redirected here. That slimy bastard!

After screaming in out-and-out rage at Lelouch's outplaying them by days at a time - and making a concerted effort _not_ to throttle the messenger - Wizard took a deep breath and tried to reforge the image of a calm commander that he was supposed to be in these times.

"The city won't hold." He told the soldier who hadn't dared run for his life, "Order all our forces to begin a systematic retreat out of Brussels. Make sure not to leave any equipment behind for the Britannians; if it can't be carried away destroy it. Also, take out the bridges and the roads leading out to the west." It wouldn't stop them, but at least it would slow that damnable Marrybell down somewhat.

"But sir!" The bearer of yet more bad news protested. "The Britannian air ships are already bearing down on the west!"

 _YOU TELL ME THIS NOW?!_ Calmly...ever so calmly, Wizard pulled his twitching arm away from his side arm and took a very deep, very long, calming breath. "Then we have even less time than I feared." He hissed, so glad he had his mask to hide the spitting fury and fear in his eyes. Noting that the soldier hadn't moved from his spot though, he lost all self control and yelled at him. "I GAVE YOU YOUR ORDERS, NOW GET OUT OF HERE!"

The poor soul's legs finally became operable again and he skedaddled as quickly as he could, though Wizard barely paid attention to him as he resumed his trek to his personal machine, now even more angry and scared than before. Even with his Knightmare he didn't like his chances if it came to a fight with _her._

Nevertheless, the die had been rolled and now all that was left was to play the game.

"So," he murmured to himself once he was safe in the third machine of a line of brothers, named for the most malicious of a different four, "it seems I have no choice but to face you, Oz."

* * *

 **Brussels, streets of**

Battle proper commenced shortly before sun set, about half an hour ahead of what Marrybell had predicted their arrival time. Not that anyone really wanted to bring that up - she was still in an icy mood after her last conversation with the emperor. It had taken everything Oz and her Knightmare had to bring back the Lancelot Trial to the _Grandberry,_ as it stood the Princess was currently barred from going anywhere near the hangar though that didn't stop her from directing all out carnage on the Europeans the first moment their fleet got in range of the city.

To their credit though the EU threw up everything they had to keep them out, even - to Leonhardt and Tink's amusement - the old artillery cannons from half a century ago. It certainly served to cause havoc on their ground units who were forced to weave in and out of the incoming shells with all the experience the pilots had, though the APCs for infantry were not nearly so lucky, but for the airships and their Blaze Luminous shielding it was akin to tossing pebbles at a stone wall.

And that didn't even account for the Glinda Knights themselves who had placed themselves as the spear tip of the advancing Gloucesters and Sutherlands, with the Lancelot-Grail right at the front. Once they got into the belly of the European forces, they tore their lines open and then the real hell began for the defenders of Brussels.

Whilst Oz started to carve up the Europeans in close range, another line of Panzers further back had set up a barricade and were laying down as much flak on the incoming Britannians as possible, catching some of their own in the crossfire due to their panicked state. Still, friendly fire was the least of their concerns as the Zetland moved ahead and locked itself down right in their path.

At first the pilots probably thought Tink was acting like an arrogant moron, no one machine could take them down (ignoring the Lancelot model that was tearing their comrades apart), but then the power pack and cannon on his shoulders rotated forwards and locked into place in front of it. Now staring down the barrel of the Mega Hadron Launcher, only three of the Panzers had enough sense to pull to the sides - probably remembering the Mordred could do something similar - just in time to avoid the massive red ray of destruction that came a second later disintegrating their comrades.

Those three remaining saw that the Zetland hadn't moved after firing and concluded that it was a slow unit that specialised in mass destruction over agility and speed (too bad they didn't know of its Blaze Luminous shielding) so they changed their tactics accordingly, weaving in and out the surrounding buildings. The hope likely was that, by manoeuvring between the buildings, they could move around and get close enough to Tink to deal out a final penetrating blow before he could move away to defend himself. Too bad for them then that there was another specialised unit keeping an eye on him.

As the Panzers tried to implement the final step of their strategy, the Bradford suddenly dropped out of the sky and sliced through two of them with its Dual Arms.

"You need to be more careful, Tink!" Leonhardt told his friend, combining his arms together as he came around and swept the last remaining Panzer of its legs. "I won't always be around to help you."

"That's alright!" Tink called back, "I'll always have Oz and the others to back me up."

 _Oy._ Leonhardt sighed at the man's attitude. _You'd think him being mostly machine would have taught him caution._ Still the front line had been broken by their rush-and-ruin approach so it wasn't like he could argue Tink wasn't effective. "Well anyway things seem okay here," he murmured after his moment of reflection, "I'm heading back up to our air forces. It makes little sense for you to stay down here, so scale a building and lay down a barrage."

"Fine by me!" Tink replied enthusiastically. "But I'll need a bit of cov-"

"WAHOOOO!" Their conversation was cut off by a loud scream for joy, accompanied by a dark pink Sutherland. It differentiated from the standard model though by the giant dome on its head, an external Yggdrasil drive on its right shoulder and a Schrötter-steel knife fixed to the arm of the same side. The Sutherland Eye's pilot's jubilation turned to annoyance however when she looked around and saw the mess Tink and Leonhardt had left behind. "The hell?! You guys killed them all already?! First those Vincents and now this! Do you guys just not like me?"

"There are days, Sokkia." Leonhardt muttered, wishing they weren't in a combat situation so he could just mute her.

Fortunately though, the Lancelot-Grail joined them a second later and Oz's no-nonsense tone joined theirs on their private channel. "Sokkia, you'll be going with Tink, provide cover whilst he gets into position. Leonhardt, you're with me." She told him firmly. "Her Highness has located a large enemy number massing in the west, likely trying to retreat."

"Which is probably where Wizard is." He finished off for her, disdain dripping from his voice. The bastard didn't even bother to stick it out whilst the rest of his troops died for him. "Understood Oz."

"Don't get ahead of yourself." She warned him, though there was an equal level of desire to see this man found. "There's been no sign of him or a his Knightmare."

"Well it looks like a Gareth." Sokkia noted, her and Tink already atop a near building, her machine's advanced scanning systems activated. "Something that big shouldn't be that hard to miss...wait a minute." Her blasé tone suddenly gave way to concern. "A new IFF just went active, its patterns match those of Britannian models."

"Any idea what it is?" Tink asked, though it was virtually a pointless question. There could only be one machine broadcasting a Britannian IFF as an enemy.

"Gimme a second." A moment passed as the Sutherland Eye turned to face the north, unconsciously telling them all which way to look for their target. "I have something," Sokkia suddenly spoke up, a small grin in her tone as she went on, "one big Gareth prototype located thattaway!"

"In the north?" Leonhardt asked, before holding back a snarl. "That bastard. He's using the retreating soldiers in the west as a diversion while he heads the other way!"

"Well it won't do him any good." Oz cut in, calm and determined. "This changes things. Princess Marrybell has to oversee the battle...right then." The Grail's landspinners suddenly slammed down onto the road and the machine itself turned north. "Leonhardt, Sokkia, you're with me. Tink, head west and cut off the enemy retreat. We'll leave the rest here to the ground commanders. Got it?"

"Got it!" Sokkia spoke for all of them gleefully, the Sutherland Eye jumping off its perch and landing down besides the Bradford. "Finally I get to have some fun!"

The rest of them just rolled their eyes in their cockpits before they all set off to do their part in bringing Brussels to heel.

* * *

The three Knightmares moved quickly north, following Sokkia's findings, the sooner they got their hands on Wizard the sooner this battle would come to an end. Even so, Oz was more than a bit worried. This very battle was the perfect tool for their target to slip away from yet again, he'd already set up two distractions to keep his location hidden - first in the main group itself and then a retreating group in the west - and he could easily do it again if he had to. Some part of her even suspected she'd made a mistake sending Tink after the second group, even if they'd found him there was no way to know what they were up against. Wizard could have any number of tricks waiting for them.

Still, she had Leonhardt in the sky keeping an eye on them so at the very least he could intervene if things got rough. Regardless of her other companion's enthusiasm, the Sutherland Eye was not a combat machine which meant in truth she was the only power on the ground if it came to a fight.

"We're nearly there." Sokkia spoke up on the radio, still sounding eager. "Just a little bit further."

 _That's what scares me._ Oz thought to herself as they crossed a bridge over the Senne into Laeken and the grassy fielded park behind the suburb. This was the last place she would have wanted to fight, so close to civilian homes but from the looks of it they had evacuated long before they had arrived. Besides she had a much more pressing matter at hand. According to Sokkia's information, their target should be right in front of them. Her confusion was suddenly alleviated when her scanners lit up, alerting her to a new power surge all around her. _What the-?!_

Suddenly a ring of small lights lit up around the Grail and the Eye, heralding the activation of thirty or so small green orbs. The lights intensified, their paths converging with each other, which Oz's scanners were telling her were the source of the power surge. Before she could shout a warning, the energy readings spiked again and expanding out into the ring, crossing over the two Knightmares before either had a chance to react.

The moment the energy filled passed, Oz braced herself for whatever was coming...and then a moment later she was engulfed in darkness. _The hell?!_ Flicking at the activation switches for the screens did nothing and she couldn't even tell if the Grail's arms were moving. A tentative push on the throttle resulted in no acceleration and she had to conclude that her machine had been shorted out.

However, her radio still seemed to be working when Sokkia's voice filled her ears in the dark cockpit. "Oz! What the hell just happened? My Sutherland's not working!"

"Mine neither." She said back, her emergency lights flipping on after a bit of testing. _So I still have my back up systems._ A lot of good that did her right now with her Knightmare frozen in place. "Any idea what that was?"

"It's called a Gefjun Disturber." A new voice, male this time, suddenly sounded through the radio. "Although, I have to admit I was worried it wouldn't work."

There was no mistaking it, Oz felt the blood in her veins beat harder as she snarled out the name. "Wizard! That's you isn't it?!"

"Miss Zevon." The oily voice greeted and she could just hear the smirk on the man's face, "I should have known your Princess was at the heart of this chaos. Step out of your Knightmare please, your cockpit's hatch release should still be active. That goes for your friend as well."

Sokkia made her stance on that idea perfectly clear. "Like hell, you masked bastard!" She yelled, though considering her screens probably were as blank as Oz's then there was very little to yell at. "As if you're not going to kill us the moment we step out!"

"I am offering you people a chance to live." Wizard replied, unmoved by her words. "If not, then I certainly will kill you. I would rather it didn't come to that."

This was a bad spot, with the Grail out and her back up either also out of commission or too far away to do anything, there was nothing Oz could think of but complying with the man's demands. That in itself was enough to make her angry, both at him and at herself for getting caught in this trap. If she could just call Tink over or...wait, had Leonhardt been taken out? He'd been in the air, maybe out of reach of the field's effect.

Being stuck in here though wouldn't tell her anything and she'd be dead anyway if she didn't comply. Therefore she let out a sigh and hit the hatch release. "Fine."

"Good girl." Oh what she'd give to take a swing at that smug bastard right in his masked face.

That wouldn't help her though so she just stepped out of her cockpit and dropped out of her machine, coming out from around it so Wizard could see her and she got a good look at his own Knightmare. It certainly resembled the Gareth, painted in a black and white pattern and arm with the same Hadron Cannons where the hands would be on a typical Knightmare Frame, which were now pointed at the two disabled machines. Where it differentiated though was the thick black metal shawl that rested over its shoulders and stretched down to above its knees, with a cape fluttering out the back, and where on the head there would have been a fact sphere was instead a black and gold visor with purple eye guards.

The last of a series of prototypes, named for the brother of the pure knight Sir Gawain, the Agravain. _A fitting machine for a turncoat trickster._ Oz snorted at the sight of it. But that wasn't what she was looking for as she glanced just over its head at the skies above it, and what she saw, even as the mammoth machine in front of her reached down to pick her up in its hand, made her smile.

Just as the Agravain's fingers were about to close around her, that was when she made her move. "Leonhardt, now!"

That was all the warning she would allow Wizard as a moment later the Bradford, in Fortress Mode, opened fire on him with the Dual Arms knocking him back. A blue Blaze Luminous system burst into life around the machine but Leonhardt had done his job and Oz turned back around for the Grail. "Target the orbs!" She yelled into her headset, hoping he heard her.

Evidently he had as the Bradford came around and fired another volley at one of the glowing Gefjun generators. Taking out one proved to be all that was needed as, out of the corner of her eye as Oz ascended back into her Knightmare, she spotted the Sutherland Eye suddenly jerk back into life and start firing on the Agravain with its rifle. It was a good sign and Leonhardt took his chance and swooped down into the former dead zone, opening fire on Wizard as close as he dared before soaring back up into the air.

Using the distraction to her advantage, Oz jumped back into the cockpit, sealed the hatch and restarted the Lancelot-Grail. The screen snapped back on, showing her the fight going on outside and it looked to all intents and purposes that Leonhardt had this one in the bag.

There was no denying the power of the Agravain, if it got those Hadrons open and managed even a partially good aim it would be all over for her and her team. However, like its mass produced cousin the giant machine was a slow beast, the same thing that gave it its deadly power making the simple raising of its arms a sluggish affair. On the flip side, the Bradford was a fast, nimble little thing designed for dogfights as much as it was for Knightmare combat which it proved as Leonhardt came down to give Wizard another taste of its Dual Arms. If it wasn't for that blasted shield that went up every time he fired, Wizard would have been down already.

It was honestly a bit embarrassing watching the big thing get kicked around by a machine almost half its size, but then this was the exact same mistake Zero had made against Cornelia in the former Area 11: size does not equal victory.

However, Wizard was not without extra options as he proved by firing the Agravain's chest mounted missile launchers and at last he scored a hit as the Bradford came around. Leonhardt managed to dodge most of them but one lucky missile hit the left wing, utterly ruining his air mobility and forcing him to come down, transforming his Knightmare back into its humanoid form. It was hardly an ending blow though, Leonhardt was far from done yet as he switched the Dual Arms into blade mode.

His machine's damage had given Wizard ample time to aim the Agravain's right arm, though so when he was ready to attack it was down the muzzle of an angry red Hadron Cannon. "Well," the masked man murmured, "I suppose this is where it ends for you."

 _Not on your life, you bastard!_ Before the cannon could fire Oz launched a sword harken into the raised arm, sending the shot wide, the Blaze Luminous this time doing nothing to protect him from damage. With him off balance she quickly pressed the attack, Sokkia giving her cover fire from behind as she armed one of her swords.

She struck fast and hard, swinging at the chest or going low for the legs both of which the Agravain defeated itself in being so slow. Sure Wizard was able to block a few of them, but now he was fully on the retreat as Oz pushed against him harder and harder with her swords and her harkens.

Suddenly though the tempo changed as, when she went for another swing with her sword, the Agravain reached out and grabbed the weapon with a hand that hadn't been there before. Momentarily stunned, Oz had a moment to notice that the other arm was also changing, the Hadron Cannon rotating around for a white arm, with a thin extension at the end over the sleeve, to take its place.

"That is enough!" Wizard snapped at her, his voice tinged with more than just a little bit of annoyance. "You've had your fun, girl, but now it's time for you to stop playing these games!" And with that the Agravain's free hand balled into a fist and punched the Grail in the torso, jogging its pilot around so that her grip on the right control yolk went wild and her machine let go of the sword.

Shaken, but hardly done, Oz temporarily backed away in time to see the Agravain's shawl detach and drop off, revealing white and gold shoulders, and the visor slide up revealing a white face mask with grey trim, the same purple eyes still glaring at her though. The thin extensions on the sleeves revealed themselves now to be hilts for MVS's that when activated, glowed the same purple of the machine's eyes.

While admittedly this came as bit of a surprise, Oz slowly felt her concerns slip away. Even if he could now fight her at close range, she still had a certain advantage.

"Impressive." She taunted him, arming another sword. "So you have a pair of swords. Did you not notice I have another ten to spare?"

"How like a child." Wizard scoffed at her boast, "Thinking that numbers will save you. It takes more than that to decide a battle!"

And now the turncoat was lecturing her on combat tactics?! That was all Oz could tolerate and she launched the Grail straight at the Agravain, her sword swiping forward in an upward arc to be met by the giant machine's own blades parrying them away from its torso and then charging forth itself. She met the attack head on and the two machines were brought to a lock.

It didn't last long though and soon the two broke to trade out blow for blow with one another, more or less keeping pace despite the Agravain's weight issue. Whilst slow, Wizard clearly knew how to work it to his optimum advantage, his knowledge of it coming off as almost precognitive - as if he saw her next move before she made it - and was able to move the giant arms just in time to meet the next attack. Still, even he couldn't predict ten swords coming at him at once when Oz launched the sword harkens at him, forcing him to disengage and pull back a little, helped along by his float system which he temporarily activated to give the Agravain a little extra push.

For a moment of blind confidence, Oz thought she had him and accelerated again before her harkens had time to return to their homes. It was a mistake that Wizard immediately saw fit to make her pay as he launched his own harkens at her, along with the eight missiles stored in his machine's legs. Eyes going wide at the sudden barrage headed her way, Oz put on the breaks and immediately pulled back, barely dodging the harkens but unable to get away from all of the missiles, one hitting the Grail square on the shoulder whilst another one exploded when it came into contact with her equipped sword.

 _Dammit!_ She seethed in barely contained rage at her own stupidity as well as his attack. _Bloody charlatan! Tricks within tricks!_ A quick test of the right arm - the one that had been hit - showed it was okay to keep going and she pulled out another sword, this one she attached to the Sword Blazer. Play time had just ended.

Evidently Wizard agreed with her as, when she at last got her bearings again, she saw that he'd discarded one of his MVS's and reverted his left arm to its Hadron Cannon mode, already charging up a blast. It was a chance she wasn't going to give him and Oz again sent the Grail forwards, its right arm (the one with the activated Sword Blazer) pulled back ready to strike. Wizard had to have seen the danger but, with his Hadron Cannon so close to firing, he didn't dare take off lest trigger an overload in its power and destroy his Knightmare. As such he was stuck where he was as the Grail came charging towards the Agravain and, when they were in range of each other, thrusting its right arm forwards, the Sword Blazer going right into the cannon's muzzle destroying it.

With an arm lost, Wizard made the wise choice to try and escape, the Agravain's float system activating being proof of it, however that was something Oz just wasn't going to allow. Before the enemy machine could get too high she fired her slash harkens at him, the weapons becoming harpoons as they sank into the legs of the giant, which she then used to pull the Grail up to the Agravain, no doubt terrifying its pilot at her audacity. Drawing another two swords from the Grail's rack, she immediately inserted them into both Sword Blazers and slashed them both down the Agravain's chest, throwing Wizard about and sending them both careening back down to earth.

The Lancelot-Grail rose from its perch on top of its fallen foe, ejecting the two spent swords and drawing yet another one which it then brought point directly at the Agravain's torso. Just on its own, the Schrötter-steel sword would be enough to pierce through the white machine's armour and frame, all the way to the cockpit, and Oz had a sneaking suspicion Wizard knew that too. That in mind, she decided to give him the same courtesy he gave her, graciousness in victory after all was the mark of a true knight.

"It's over Wizard. Surrender."

For a moment there was silence from the enemy commander, no doubt going through his options the same way she had when she'd been in his position. However, unlike her, he had none to choose from which he appeared to have recognised when the hatch at the back of the large Knightmare opened up and the masked figure himself stepped out, hands in the air.

At the sight of him, Oz took a moment to look him over and silently admitted to herself that this man looked ridiculous. Bisecting black and white clothes and some weird looking mask with fake silver hair and a little black hat on top? Was this man a general or a clown? At least Zero, terrorist that he was, had appeared to have some sort of taste in the way he dressed.

And to further the madness, the man now had the gall to laugh at her despite his situation. "So tell me, knight," he asked in that same oily voice from before, the one that suggested he was the one in control of things here, "now that I've surrendered, does that mean you won't just kill me?"

"That depends." She replied coldly, whatever game he thought he could play she wasn't about to fall for it. "Her Highness gave us orders to take you dead or alive. Which do you prefer?" In response however, the madman just continued giggling "What's so funny?"

"Forgive me," he replied apologetically, although his chuckling didn't entirely let up. "It just amuses me how little you've changed, Oz."

What was that he'd just called her? She was pretty certain she'd just heard him call her Oz...but that couldn't be possible. The only ones who called her that were Marrybell, her friends, and... "Who are you?!" Oz demanded sharply, "How the hell do you know that name?!"

From his perch atop the Agravain, Wizard continued to chuckle, his arms drooping slightly, "Why Oz, I'm hurt." He said with faux sadness, his fingers brushing the edges of his mask while his thumps dropped underneath. "After all this time, you've forgotten the man who gave you that nickname?"

All the questions she had on that statement were blown away before she could ask them when his hands took a firm hold of his mask and pulled it away. In the place of blue lenses there was a pair of green eyes and where once there had been red and black, now there was a pale complexion identical to her own. Even the silver hair and black hat gave way to blonde hair in a very familiar style.

The face from her past, who Oz was sure she'd never see again after _that_ day so long ago, now smiled up at her. "Hello Oldrin."

"...Uncle?"

* * *

 **Munich**

Word quickly reached Lelouch that the battle for Brussels was under way and going quite well for their side. Not that he was too surprised, he'd sent them one of Britannia's best Princesses after all. Still he just hoped they were able to capture Wizard before he had a chance to escape again, although that was about all he could do.

Right now though he had other matters to attend to such as the breaking of the European line, something that was proving to be a bit more difficult than Augsburg had been. His earlier guess that they'd realised they were headed for Munich had panned out to be correct, well that or Smilas was dead serious about protecting his Thought Elevator, as for the first time today his forces had come into contact with Alexanders, probably all the units in Germany, along with the usual Panzers. The addition of those speedy transforming units was slowing him down considerably, not to mention the fact that the EU had pulled out the old stuff in the form of the old artillery mortars. _Chancellor Bismark would be proud._ Lelouch thought to himself slyly.

But by far the most aggravating presence in Munich was the appearance of the Vincent Commander Types in European hands, something he'd hoped would have only been present in Belgium. _Seems Schneizel got his hands on more than I would have liked._ He considered as yet another group tried to take a pot shot at the _Avalon,_ only to be blown away by his own white Vultures.

Nevertheless, despite all his griping, they were making good time as the tactical map showed. They'd already pushed their way forward to take a good half of the city with the Scarlet Guard already making their way on to the next batch of ground troops. Still he needed to get to the Thought Elevator before Smilas decided to pull a Clovis and stick his target in a portable prison, labelling it like something along the lines of a bio-weapon.

At the rate they were going that was becoming more of a likelihood than not. He needed a location and he needed it now!

And then, good fortune smiled on him as Alfred leaned over his shoulder to whisper in his ear. "Sir, word from our search teams." Perking up he shifted his head a little to the side though his eyes remained fixed on the map before him, just enough to let his aide know he was listening. He'd sent teams in with the first wave to get as far in as possible and start looking for any underground passageways, under the cover story that they were looking for a hidden weapons testing facility...or at least, that's what he'd used his Geass on them to make them think that was what they were looking for.

If they were reporting though it could mean only one thing, which Alfred didn't waste time in confirming by pointing on a specific location a bit further up the map within the EU-held area. "They've reported the presence of tunnels going deep below the surface, much further than a metro line. They even sent back pictures of a rather...curious object they found."

He passed a couple of photos to him which Lelouch accepted almost too greedily. After a moment of looking at them, a dark grin stretched over his face and he let out a small snicker. The task at hand had been completed.

"Well then," the emperor muttered to himself, reaching to flick on a channel to all his troops "I think we've played with them for long enough. Attention soldiers!" He called out to his forces, around him, in the air, and on the ground. "Our victory stands within our grasp! We have granted the Europeans their due course of attention but now it ends! Force them out of the city centre and then squeeze every last trace of them out of Munich! For our tomorrow!"

His declaration was immediately met with jubilant cheers but he barely paid it any notice as he turned to Alfred. "Remain here and keep an eye on things. Once they've been forced out, the Medical Corps is to move right in, followed by Relief. Priority is to be given to the injured civilians and those made homeless."

"As you say, Sir." Alfred nodded dutifully.

His final instructions for the day given, Lelouch addressed his CIC operators even as he turned to leave the bridge. "Tell the Scarlet Guard to meet me outside the _Avalon,_ and tell Lloyd to have the Shinkiro ready to go."

It was time for a meeting that, he'd just realised, was long overdue.

* * *

Whilst the battle raged on the surface, a small contingent of Alexanders had been redirected to an underground site on specific orders from General Smilas himself. This would sound like an honour, except the pilots had been kept completely in the dark of what they were actually supposed to be doing except babysitting! The whole extent of his orders had been 'See this girl? Keep her alive,' which was made additionally more difficult to do when the girl in question had decided to do some tomb raiding.

She'd slipped inside an ancient looking door, all but ordering them not to come in before wandering off inside and that had been the last they'd seen of her for over an hour. And all the while upstairs the Britannians furthered their goal in taking control of Munich, a point that was exemplified when a heavy rumble above ground trembled all the way down to them in the form of some of the loose rocks of the giant cave's ceiling falling.

"Seriously, what the hell are we doing?!" Once soldier finally snapped, voicing everyone's thoughts, "We've been ready to go since before they showed up! Let's just go!"

"We can't do that, moron!" Another shouted back at him, "If Smilas sees us without the girl we're dead!"

But the first just scoffed at that, "Who cares about his little thing on the side?! If we don't go now, the Brits are gonna find us and then we really will be dead!"

Seriously what was it the dumb kid was even looking for?! If she kept it up she was going to get them all killed!

Finally the first pilot couldn't take it any longer and he hit the accelerator on his Alexander's landspinners, rushing off in the direction of the exit and completely disregarding his comrades cries for him to come back. If they wanted to die down there that was fine by him, he would just get out now and say they were all killed by the Brits, the girl as well although he did fight his best to save her. Yes that would work out nicely, it wasn't like a silly girl and some old rocks were all that important anyway.

Evidently though, others would disagree as the unfortunate soul soon found out when he came upon the mouth of the cave, the light outside calling him towards it, only for his hopes to be dashed in the form of a scarlet red Knightmare Frame landing in front of him along with its brethren and a forebodingly familiar black and gold machine hovering over him. It was all over for the deserter before he could even utter his first terrified scream.

* * *

The defences around the Thought Elevator were, in Lelouch's professional opinion, abysmal. If Smilas was really going to protect it he should have put Wizard here instead of sending him to Brussels. The Agravain, if his knowledge of the machine was correct, would have at least been more suited for these conditions - its Hadron Cannons would certainly have been hard to get around in such close quarters.

But the situation was what it was: he had the Thought Elevator and the EU didn't any more, as well as the prize waiting within. Therefore he disembarked from the Shinkiro, giving orders for the Scarlet Guard to secure the opening whilst he was away, and made his way up to the colossal stone doors. Placing his hands upon them, he was about to initiate contact when a sudden rumbling began and he felt the rock under his palms begin to shift. Warily he stepped back, his hand drifting to his handgun in case he needed it, as the large doors opened.

His concerns melted away though as he got a glimpse of who was waiting on the other side and he sent a wry grin at the form of his goal, who was sending back a small smile of her own. Her eyes drifted down some and immediately her smile turned into a little chuckle as she saw where his hand was.

"Seriously, Lelouch?" D.S. asked him as she stepped out of C's World into the realm of man, her arms folding as she came to stand before him. "Is that going to be the way you always greet me?"

Rather than respond in words, Lelouch simply rolled his eyes at her in an amused manner before placing his hand on his heart and bowing to her much the same way he had in London. The flair was lost a bit in his pilot suit but he managed with what he had. Evidently it was enough as it got another laugh out of her. "My, my, the Emperor himself is bowing to me. That must mean something, mustn't it?"

Though her question held the same teasing lilt as always, Lelouch thought he detected an undercurrent of apprehension. Raising his head he saw that whilst she was smiling, it was more shy than sly...something that didn't look right on this face at all. _Well, we'll have to do something about that._

"But of course," he chose to say after a split second, "after all the only person an Emperor may bow to is his Empress."

His actions bore fruit as, after a small squeak of 'Oh,' D.S. descended back into a giggle fit. It only lasted a short moment though as, when he'd stood back straight again she was in his face and decided to exercise one of the Empress's many prerogatives, covering her lips with his own. The moment she did, Lelouch immediately froze up which seriously annoyed him - one would have thought that having C.C. as a teacher would have cured him of this by now! - but nevertheless he had been taken completely by surprise. He didn't know why, he'd assumed this would be the bare minimum of their interaction with each other considering the wish she'd asked of him. All this thinking wasn't translating into kissing though, to the extent that, by the time his brain was back in gear she had pulled back.

At the very least she was smiling, though her cheeks were flushed, the pale skin bringing out the red even more. "Well," she stated, just managing to hide a stutter, "as first kisses go, that was a little underwhelming. Why do humans like to do this again?"

Oh, now that was just unacceptable! Before she could go on in a way that his Witch would be proud, Lelouch grabbed her by the waist and pulled her right up against him so they were eye-to-eye. Fixing her with a smile that oozed trouble, he told her in a silky tone, "Probably because sometimes it can feel like this."

So saying he recaptured her lips again, his left hand going up to the back of her head and pressing her even closer to him. The act shocked the eternal entity to be sure and it was a moment before he felt her respond to him, her stunned arms wrapping their way up and around his neck to play with his hair. The actions spurred him forwards and, feeling a little bold, Lelouch decided to try something he had been saving for when he saw C.C. again but figured he might as well get some practise in now. An excited squeal was swallowed from D.S. as he got a firm grip on her waist and turned his own to the left, effectively sweeping her off her feet, without once breaking the kiss.

He kept at it until he felt his lungs crying for relief and finally he placed her back on her feet, ending the moment and leaving her suitably much redder than before. Strange, for a being that probably didn't need air to live, she was certainly breathing hard.

Her heady look lasted a moment longer before returning to something much more foxy and she pulled herself back up to his ear, her arms still around his neck. "My emperor," she whispered eagerly, "this is shaping to be a beautiful arrangement."

"I agree, my dear." He replied, his cheeks developing his own little blush. It would seem that the battlefield wouldn't be the only thing he would have to conquer from now on. "But before we move this to the bedroom, we should pay our gratitudes to your old caretaker for looking after you."

* * *

 **Laeken park, Brussels**

In any of the ways this reunion with his family could have played out, Wizard, or rather Oiaguro Zevon, had not imagined this would be the way he and Oldrin would see each other again. It seemed the girl herself was having trouble believing it too as, after her startled statement of recognition, she'd been absolutely silent. Although all things considered at least her Lancelot based machine wasn't moving to kill him right now.

How many years had it been now since that day? Ten? Twelve? However long it mattered, the act he undertook to become head of the Pluton group was still as fresh as the day it happened. So many things had changed since then: he'd abandoned his empire, his actions uncovered, a new emperor and more. Yet through it all, the same comedy of bloodshed stayed the same and, to his horror, Oldrin and Orpheus both had wrapped themselves up in that same play of death and destruction on opposing sides.

However, right now, all Oiaguro could find himself thinking was the state of his niece. "You've grown up quite a bit since we last saw each other, Oldrin." He told her, smiling up at her machine. "You look so much like your mother."

"Uncle Oiaguro?" The girl's voice came over the outward speakers, the disbelief coming through loud and clear. "You're Wizard?"

"Is that so hard to believe, child?" He asked. "I who have seen what the so-called Holy Britannian Empire really is?"

"What?"

"You know what I speak of." He insisted, taking a step further out of the Agravain in the very face of the enemy machine's sword. "The empire has become a cesspit for those who pray on the unsuspecting. Where lies and deceits rule the day in the face of honest people! Family members kill each other off at a whim and-!"

"Silence!" Oldrin suddenly yelled, the red Knightmare's sword lifting to follow him where he'd moved, bringing him to a halt. "Lies? Deceits?" She repeated, "That may have been true with Emperor Charles, under him we've done horrible things to the rest of the world, but that's not the way it is any more! Lelouch vi Britannia rules us now, and under him we will change everything for the better!"

Such childish words, how could she truly believe that?! "You sound like that Kururugi kid!" He snapped at her, his frustration at the girl's blindness coming out. "Change? You think because the name of the emperor changes that Britannia will suddenly become something else?! There have been dozens of rulers like him who promised world peace and look at them all! Monsters! Despots! Zealots!" With each word his voice rose and he took a step towards the sword tip, his eyes going beyond it to glare up at the machine's eyes. "That boy is no different! Already he's restarted the war with Europe under such a flimsy cause! How long before he attacks the UFN? Then what? Will you defend him then?"

"Flimsy?!" Oldrin repeated, the disgust in her voice rising at his words. "You attacked us! You bombed Paris, and I can only imagine what you were planning to do to Belgium!"

 _I wasn't going to do anything to the people here!_ How could she think that of him? Didn't she realise everything he did was for his family? Why couldn't she see that? Had that damned boy really won her over? "Make no mistake, Oldrin!" Oiaguro warned her "Lelouch will turn on you! He'll use you up until he has no further use for you and then throw you aside! Maybe even kill you!"

"Like you did with Mother?!" Her one demand brought him up short - Olivia, the sister he'd murdered to take her place as Emperor Charles's wetworks man - but she was far from done as she went on. "What? Nothing to say?! You threw us aside the moment she was gone! We never meant a thing to you! Not me, and definitely not Oz!"

The pain in her voice as she brought up her brother, it made him all the more desperate to tell her Orpheus was alive and well but in her state there was no way she would believe it as she carried on. "You didn't even show up for his funeral! You could have at least pretended you cared!"

"I do care, Oldrin!" He called back to her, his own voice filling with desperation. This couldn't be how it went, not like this, not to that damned spawn of Charles! "Everything I do as Wizard is for you! I'm not an enemy of the people, I'm their protector! Like you!"

"So hiding behind a mask and a fake name is to protect me, is it?" She demanded back at him, her Knightmare's sword twitching giving away how hard she was holding herself back inside her cockpit, though the crack in her voice would say that it was a losing battle. "And becoming a terrorist is in the name of the people?! That's the same bullshit line Zero used and threw the Japanese into a frenzy!"

Zero? She was acquainting him to that charlatan?! How were they anything alike? It had been obvious, at least to him, from the get go that Zero was just using the Japanese to fight Britannia for his own gains, he had no interest in their well being! But Oiaguro was different, there was a final destination at the end of his path, he didn't seek mere destruction for its own sake. Because he knew, ever since his time as head of Pluton, the dark truth that hid at the heart of Britannia. "Oz, please listen to me! You need to-"

"Don't call me that!" She yelled at him, the sword pointed at him finally pulling back but, to his horror, not to its dock but instead above the Knightmare's head in preparation to strike. "Only friends and family call me that. You're neither, _Wizard!"_ The throwing back of his alias with such spite hit him even worse as she recited off the empire's new chant 'All Hail Britannia! All Hail Lelouch!' and brought the weapon down on him.

In his shock he would have surely let her kill him, had it not been for what could only be described as divine intervention. As the sword came towards him, a Panzer-Hummel suddenly burst onto the scene apparently having got past Oldrin's comrades and started launching everything it had at her. The surprise explosion rocked Oiaguro out of his stupor and yet even then he could only watch as the red machine pulled away from him to deal with the new arrival.

 _She called me 'Wizard'...not Oiaguro...not Uncle...not even Oz..._ Oldrin was completely lost to him. His own niece was now nothing but a tool of Lelouch's to use as he saw fit. He'd hoped to reach her before the boy had finished turning all of Britannia into his pawns but apparently he was a lot faster than anyone gave him credit for. _That damned monster! I'll kill him for this!_

His anger renewed his purpose and at last Oiaguro moved, returning to the Agravain's cockpit and reactivating it. The machine's panoramic screen showed Oldrin's machine running in close towards the already heavily damaged Panzer. Without a moment's pause she skewered it on the end of her blade. Her distraction was all he needed though as he activated the Agravain's float system and pulled it into the sky, though his glare never left the back of the walking red coffin of death that Lelouch had turned his niece into.

He still had one Hadron Cannon working...it would be so easy...

But no. There was still work to do. If he killed her here he would most certainly be killed by her comrades who were coming back this way with a third bulky one that seemed to be armed with the same weapon as the Mordred. Still, there was one more thing to take care of which he now saw to, flicking on his radio to an open channel. "Miss Zevon." He spoke calmly and with clarity, all emotion purged from his voice. "You have chosen to be a pawn in a mad man's game...so be it. I therefore warn you to be prepared for the worst, because I will not rest until Britannia lies in ashes."

He turned the Agravain about and made for his exit route in the north, from there he'd decide his own path. "Just remember this, Miss Zevon: The history of your empire is like glass."

And with that cryptic clue, in the face of distant Britannian fire, he put his Knightmare's float system on full speed and fled from his family yet again.

Once he was sure he was a good distance away from Brussels, when the horizon no longer burned orange with the fires of Britannia's tyranny, Oiaguro finally pulled down on the throttle. And now he finally let his grief out. His final gamble had failed and now his niece wanted him good and dead.

But in his grief he found the name of the one to blame for all these failings. Once upon a time, the monster in his eyes beyond all others had been the giant overshadowing Charles zi Britannia who crushed all in his path. Now though he'd found someone so much worse, a person who twisted his underlings into whatever tool he needed them to be, undoubtedly to throw them away once that need was fulfilled; something that had been done to his very own niece!

With that realisation he felt his sadness turn to anger, and he swore one more time that before he passed from this world, Oiaguro would kill Lelouch vi Britannia. After all, he still had a trump card to play.

Speaking of whom, he was now receiving a video call from Munich. If he'd been thinking straight he would have questioned who it was calling him, considering by now the city had to have come under attack as well, but as it was he just hit the answer button after putting his mask back on. A second later a small rectangle box appeared on his front screen, showing the face of D.S. smiling at him in that knowing way that he'd never approved of.

"Is there something I can do for you?" He asked her tersely.

Instead of her replying though, a male voice off screen just began laughing at him before stating mockingly. "I believe what you meant to say was 'Is there something I can do for you, Your Highness, Empress of Britannia?'"

 _That voice..._ Oiaguro felt his blood freeze, it couldn't be. How could he have found out about her? Then he looked at the smile on her face again and an even worse idea took hold. _Don't tell me she...!_

He wouldn't have to be kept in the dark for long as the image zoomed out to show that she was resting her head on the raven hair of the absolute last person in the world he wanted to see right now. The Britannian Emperor just smiled back at him cruelly, seated on the stone steps before the giant stone doors of the Munich Thought Elevator. "I have to say this is quite the treasure trove you've been hiding here, Wizard. She's just a fountain of knowledge!"

"You bastard!" Oiaguro was unable to hold himself back at the sight of Lelouch acting so cavalier. "You knew it was there, didn't you?! And you!" He turned his furious gaze to the girl who was still using the boy's head as a pillow. "How long have you been his spy?! Since Paris? His coronation? Even before that?!"

To his ever growing rage, she didn't answer him in favour of snuggling further down into Lelouch's hair. The emperor in question wasn't as quiet as he shot him a look of surprise. "You sound hurt, good sir." He stated, sounding borderline concerned, "And after all the trouble I went to set up your little family reunion. How did that go, by the way?"

The fire in his veins once again turned to ice at that mention. _He knows...but how? I made sure to erase everything before..._ Oiaguro's eyes trailed back up to D.S. What if she had found out somehow, maybe not his backstory but his name. It was a long shot but it could have happened, her Geass had seemed geared towards certain psychic abilities. _And the bitch gave him everything!_

Once again angry, he glared daggers at the pair of them, "I swear if you go anywhere near her I'll-!"

"Do what?" Lelouch cut him off, still smirking. "She is a loyal soldier for Britannia whilst you are a terrorist. I highly doubt I'd need to give her orders to kill you, she'd probably do it for free."

"Honestly, Lelouch, stop playing with him." D.S. finally spoke chidingly, flicking his head before facing the screen. "As for you, Oiaguro, I don't ever recall swearing any allegiance to you and Smilas. It's not betrayal if the people you're selling out were never your people to begin with. And besides," her hands dropped down to rake up and down Lelouch's pilot suit, "have you seen this boy? Because I intend to...very soon."

 _That's the reason?!_ Oiaguro was beyond outraged and insulted at her brazen attitude before but now she'd taken it to a whole new level, she'd switched sides, revealed his identity and who knows what else to Lelouch, all for a bit of titillation?!

It seemed so as the boy himself made a noise somewhere between approval and protest before shaking her arms off and leaning forward. "Anyway, Lord Oiaguro - or maybe you prefer Oz - the longer we chat, the longer it'll be before she can repay the favour to me so, as they say here in Germany..." he had the audacity to wink at him " _Auf Wiedersehen!"_

And then the screen went blank, leaving Oiaguro Zevon in absolute seething rage, an emotion he finally let out by stopping the Agravain and pointing its Hadron Cannon towards a poor defenceless tree miles below him. Wide eyed and roaring with all he had in his lungs to give, he opened fire on it and then everything else in his general area, screaming and cursing anything and everything he could think of starting with Satan (Lelouch came a close second) to God himself.

When the cannon finally ran dry even then he kept screaming, though gradually those furious yells eventually turned into a mad sort of laughter before he outright cried to the heavens "BURN IN HELL, **LELOUCH VI BRITANNIA**!"

* * *

 _ **Omake (be gentle, it's my first one (Tahkaullus01, not Imperator))**_

As the battle for Munich raged, two German footsoldiers stationed by the Thought Elevator felt the shudders above them. Feeling the pressure, one turned to the other and sparked off a conversation.

"Kumpel!"

"Ja, Kumpel?" The other one asked.

"Was zur Hölle ist los?"

"Der Teufel soll ich das wissen?!" He asked his friend in frustration. "Du bist derjenige, der Defekt gesucht!"

At his outburst the first raised his hands in the universal calming manner. "Whoa, whoa Mann, du hättest mit mir nicht kommen, wenn alles, was Sie Gonna waren zu tun war Hündin an mich!"

"Jemand hatte ein Auge auf dich zu halten!" The second fired back, citing perfectly good reason. "Denken Sie daran, den Käse?"

"Fick dich, Mann!" The first shouted at him "Das war einmal!" Besides that party had been insane! Two helicopters destroying the house: Best. House party. EVAH!

But the second wasn't buying it. "Und die Pizza?" He probed, that hold up was _not_ his idea.

"Hey," the first retaliated "wollte man auch! Und eine Meile bis zum nächstgelegenen Pizzeria?!" He twitched just remembering how long it had taken to get there. "Diese Leute wurden gewarnt!

"Und was ist dieser Zeit haben wir uns von diesem Erdrutsch begraben?!"

Okay now he just wasn't playing fair! Besides they'd had fun at the end. "Ich schoss, dass ein Mann in den Kopf danach! Das irgendwie wieder gut gemacht!"

"Wir waren buchstäblich tot für drei ganze Episoden!" His friend pointed out the hole in his logic. "Und verstehen Sie mich nicht auf dem U.V.A.R.D begonnen!"

"Dafuq ist ein Uvard?!" Seriously, why hadn't anyone explained that to him?!

The second soldier shrugged, still as mystified as him. "Ich weiß immer noch nicht, aber du besser mich auf sie nicht gestartet!"

"Was auch immer ein Mann," the first waved him off, his belly rumbling a little "ich nur ein paar Pizza Bagels wollte aber offenbar Teil einer diskriminierenden Militär bedeutet, dass wir Scheiße Lohn erhalten!"

"Wie funktioniert verbinden, dass auch auf das, was wir eigentlich reden?!" His friend demanded, exasperation rising.

"Wir sprachen über etwas?"

The soldier stared at his friend in sheer amazement for a moment before sighing and throwing up his hands. "Ernsthaft Mann, warum habe ich mit dir?"

But the first just scoffed and waved him off again "Weil du mich liebst, Mann."

The second just looked at him again for a second and then just nodded, laughing a little. "Ja. Ja, ich tun." And the two of them shared a bro fist. Another second later he spoke up again. "Hey, was sagen, wenn das alles vorbei wir ein paar Idioten gehen schlagen ein bisschen herum?"

Now that was something the first soldier could get behind as he offered another bro-fist to his best dude. "Auf jedenfall!"

And the other soldier was happy to reply to his buddy. "Auf jedenfall!"

And that was all they got to do before a Centurion swooped through the cave and melted them with its VARIS, the Shinkiro zooming past a second later. In his cockpit Lelouch felt a small shiver run down his spine, as if many fans had suddenly raised their voices in anger and were suddenly silenced. A moment later it passed and he got back to business.

 ** _Okay, first to those who speak German I apologise for my terrible German, this all comes from Google Translate. Second, for those of you who have translated it or worked it out for themselves, well done you clever bunnies! Third, and finally, for more of Dude and Buddy (as I call them) go watch Code:MENT, it's funny._**

 **#**  
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 **And we're! And you know what? I have many things to say here:**

 **1\. Some of you said that my characters seem to be villains...Well, YEAH! No said that in Lelouch army must be only good guys. Black Knights were villains in some kind too. I mean Oghi and his team were former terrorists that stole 'poison gas' and because of it was a massacre. What about Kallen. Well...GOD KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE SHE KILLED! Yes. all of them did it to bring peace but it didn't change a fact that every person in CodeGeass (except Milly, Kaguya, Tianzi, and Rivals) had killed some one. So my characters not better. Cinder is the just dark version of Lelouch. Both of them wanted power and were on everything. Peter is crazy for guns, but now for blood and killing like Ashley. There difference between them. Arthur is like Suzaku but if one lost beloved than an onather lost team. Bishop just like Bismark. And Lelouch...You know? If take all scenes in anime where he speaks about his reasons and left only where his evil guy than we will have common cartoon villain.**

 **2\. About a number of characters. I think there left only two persons that I didn't introduce yet.**


	9. Battle of Lupobianco

**June** **8** , **2018,** **Tignes. Border between France and Italy.**

The opening week of the war was coming to a close with more than a clear advantage given to the Britannian side. In a mere handful of days the empire, under Lelouch's command, had taken more European territory than any other commander in history. They now had command of half of their current capital, whilst the other major country, Italy, stood isolated to the south. If their momentum kept up, this would become the shortest war between the EU and Britannia in their long shared history.

Of course, there was an alternative motive for throwing so many lives on conflict's pyre which was currently being seen to by a relatively small fleet of five airships currently moored over the forests of Tignes. It was mid-afternoon that the emperor got in contact with the ships' overall commander, initially with concern but as he came to ascertain why there had been a communications black out between him and the particular individual his attitude became considerably more...irate.

"So...you mean to tell me." He said slowly, a twitching under his original Geass eye beginning to grow with each word. "That the reason you've been quiet all this time, despite my multiple calls..." his teeth were gritted and the woman he was calling suspected he was grateful he'd cleared the bridge of the _Avalon_ much as she had done on her own ship once she'd decided her Warlock had been left to stew long enough. "Was because you were sampling _Pizza?!"_

"So what if I did?" C.C. asked him blandly, not moving from her slouched position in her throne, and took another bite out of her Pissaladière, savouring the taste of anchovies and caramelised onions. "It's not like anything happened, and this isn't pizza, boy, it's a poor French imitation."

"That's not the point!" He snapped at her, bordering on angry with his fists slamming onto his throne's arms. "In case you haven't noticed we're in the middle of a war!"

"A war that's half over if the papers are anything to go by." Honestly, the poor thing worried about too much. Maybe he should get himself a nice girl and...oh wait, he already did and now had gone and gotten another one. "Stop making an issue out of nothing, weren't you the one who said the EU was a minor sideshow?"

"Dammit Cera!" His use of her name brought her up short, enough to actually turn to look at him with mild shock at such a slip. He however didn't seem to have noticed if his glare was anything to go by. "This isn't the time to be playing coy! I was afraid something had happened to you!"

As touched as she wasn't ever going to tell him she was by his admission, C.C. quickly recovered from her surprise and went back to a near lazy state. "You sent me to find the contractors didn't you? Do you want them found or not?"

"What sort of question is that?" Lelouch demanded of her, "Of course I want them found, now more than ever!"

"Then stop this whining and get back to your own business." She told him firmly, not quite keeping herself from letting out a small 'hmph!' at the end. "Anyway, why don't you just ask your new mistress? Surely a liaison from C's World would be of more use than an immortal witch."

She must have said too much there, or maybe the fact that she'd picked up Cheese-kun from the floor and given him a little extra tight hug that gave her away, because suddenly Lelouch's scowl had changed into a frown and then a look of amazement. "C.C..." He asked slowly, his lips twitching up in that infuriatingly arrogant way of his when he thought he'd worked out something about her... "is that jealousy I hear?"

 _Oh no._ As she feared when she looked up from Cheese-kun's head, she saw that the boy was wearing that silly smirk of his along with an almost amused look in his eyes. Not intent on letting him know how close he was to hitting the mark, she just huffed again and glanced away. "Of course not! That would suggest you were desirable. I just can't fathom why the new girl...what was her name again?"

"D.S." Damn boy was even letting his humour slip into his tone, he was almost chuckling damn him! If she was less annoyed, she'd be amazed that the Dimensional Supervisor of the Thought Elevators had shown itself to a mortal - let alone _her_ mortal. But still, for it to take the form of a girl was one thing, what she had been doing with Lelouch was another, but likening her to a child...well, there were some lines people weren't supposed to cross.

Not that she was about to let him know that as she waved the name off with faked nonchalance. "Yes, yes. Why not use 'D.S.' as your Geass detector now?"

"Because I need you." He said simply, his smirk still in place though it had softened a touch. "D.S. is still an unknown in all of this. You however, I do know, and am aware of your abilities."

 _Oh such a stellar wooing._ She thought, rolling her eyes at him in response before slouching back on to Cheese-kun's tiny hat. _Honestly, why did he have to inherit Charles's hopelessness with women?_

"So I'm your hit man?" She asked him emptily, wondering to herself not for the first time what it was about this boy that continued to endear him to her.

The reminder was soon in coming as Lelouch rested his arms on his legs and leaned forward, smirk changing completely into a gentle smile. "No, Cera," he said her name again, the damn cheater, in that tender way he'd been learning to say it with over the last month, "I need you because you're my Witch as I am your Warlock."

Giving him the satisfaction of knowing he was getting to her was not on her priority list though, and so C.C. just snorted before returning to the cheap French not-a-pizza (seriously, when were they going to invade Italy?). "And I suppose that should mean something?" She asked him, not meeting his gaze.

"It should..." Oh no, now he was using the guilt technique. When did he learn to do that? More importantly, when was it that she became susceptible to that? She was a seven-hundred year old immortal witch for goodness sake, not some high-emotional teenager! That's what they'd had Kallen for! And yet, the undercurrent of sadness in Lelouch's voice pulled at her in a completely foreign way, all but commanding her to stop avoiding his gaze and look up at him.

 _This is just a ploy!_ Her older side told her, _Just a cruel trick to get you to pay attention to him! You know how he works: everything for victory._

 _But he sounds sad._ A much younger voice that had been more present than ever piped up, concern in every syllable. _We shouldn't make him sad._

In ages past she would have told that silly girl to pipe down so she could focus on what was important, but damn it all if that month without her memories had set her back on that particular skill by a wider margin than she'd thought. As such, C.C. found herself turning to look up at him, her desire to say something so unlike herself that it surprised her she was even thinking of it...

And then she immediately crushed that thought as she saw Lelouch's victorious smirk looking back at her. "That's cruel, Lelouch." She chided him, squeezing Cheese-kun again.

"But you're listening now." He pointed out, his damnable grin not shaking for a moment as he leaned back in his seat. "If anything, you should be proud. D.S. is currently slumbering in my chambers, exhausted, after being sent to the peaks of bliss thanks to your tutelage."

 _Huh._ Never let it be said Lelouch vi Britannia was incapable of the impossible, it had never even occurred to her that a sexless entity of the Collective Unconscious even had needs like that. Yes, she'd felt Lelouch's response to their coupling through the bond but C.C. hadn't thought D.S. would get anything out of it. The subject matter though did bring a smirk to her own face as she replied. "Well then, does that make it a notch on my bedpost or yours? After all, you're using _my_ techniques."

"Ah," he countered with a raised finger "but you weren't there to claim it, thus the conquest is mine."

"Well then, maybe I ought to introduce myself to her." She immediately giggled as Lelouch suddenly sat erectile at her suggestion, a tinge of red in his cheeks as his thoughts no doubt went any which way. Going by the aroused feelings she was receiving from their bond, it would also seem he wasn't opposed to the idea. Seeing the ball was back in her court, C.C. pressed her advantage.

"Would you like that, my Warlock? Your Witch and your Mistress, greeting each other properly, sharing all our experiences and... _pleasures?"_ Oh yes, he definitely liked the idea of that, such a perverted little demon she'd created. "Would you like me to come over, and demonstrate why I'm always on top?"

If the tight grip his fingers hand on his throne's arms were anything to go by then he definitely wanted to see it, their connection relaying as much to her, and she was about to press further when Lelouch blurted out, "Anyway! Back to more important matters!"

 _And point goes to the Witch._ She thought to herself contently before letting out a little sigh as business replaced her daily pleasure. "Yes, yes, the details your friend sent me before you made her numb to the world has been quite useful." She allowed herself one more dig before letting herself return to the actual goal on hand. Ignoring the documents flashed up on the screen - honestly, did Lelouch think she was some lazy slob or something? - she recited the names that she'd committed to memory. "We now know of at least three contractors: Orpheus Zevon, Toto Thompson and Leila Breisgau."

"Of the three though we only know the details of one Geass," Lelouch picked up from there, "apparently D.S. can't tell us everything about them or it upsets the balance in C's World or something like that. We only learned about Leila's because her own power actually is a threat to Geass itself: No more Geass..."

"No more Codes." C.C. finished his thought with a blankness she didn't feel. If she were honest such a power was unheard of and, up till now, thought to be impossible. That Geass could actually destroy itself...it led her to wonder what sort of effect it would have on her Code if they came into contact. It was easy to see why he was prioritising this girl, but still. "What about the Toto girl? Her power's unknown as well as whoever it was who gave it to her, although all things considered it was probably V.V. Can we really trust her when she's so close to your sister?"

"For the time being, I'm adopting a wait-and-see approach." He told her, which surprised C.C. a little bit. Lelouch wasn't usually one to let an unknown run rampant. "At least on the _Grandberry_ her influence is limited. Besides, Marry is surrounded by any number of capable knights, I doubt Oldrin Zevon would let any harm come to her princess."

"That's still a big risk." She pointed out. "We don't know what her power is or its range. What if she's like Rolo?"

Lelouch visibly winced at her reminder before carrying on. "Even if she is, Thompson's background speaks of nothing but loyalty to the Zevon family. Even if she betrayed Marry, I doubt she'd do it in a way that betrayed Oldrin."

"Assumptions lead to mistakes." She reminded him none too harshly, his assumption that the EU wouldn't attack Paris right off the bat was what had lead them to starting the war early after all. Besides there was another concern regarding the Zevons. "If she is loyal to that family, what's to stop her from changing sides and working with Oiaguro?"

"Not a lot." He admitted, before giving her an uncaring shrug. "But so long as the identity of Wizard doesn't become common knowledge, I doubt we have too much to worry about."

 _That's assuming the girl doesn't already know Wizard's identity._ She thought to bring it up, but the look of certainty on Lelouch's face told C.C. that she wasn't going to get through that stubborn self assurance. Sighing, just knowing that this would come back to bite them, she just nodded and moved on to the next one before snorting. "It seems this family has quite the history with Geass."

"Hmm." Lelouch agreed with a nod. "Orpheus Zevon, Oldrin's twin brother. Separated over fourteen years ago after the assassination of Olivia Zevon, he disappears from all records after that along with his uncle Oiaguro Zevon, who later became Wizard..." He trailed off for a moment as a look of contemplation crossed his visage for a few seconds which was then replaced with a familiar scowl that C.C. had come to link with one certain topic. "It's likely then that he was raised by the Geass Directorate, therefore his Geass also probably came from V.V."

"And yet," she pointed out, "there's never been any sighting of a man with descriptions similar to Oldrin's in any of the world's documented assassinations. He may have escaped at a young age and went into hiding." It was far fetched, she was aware of just how close to impossible it was to escape the Directorate after V.V. took control, but it was better to explore all avenues of thought.

"That could be his power though." Lelouch countered. "A Geass that makes him invisible to the naked eye, or unrecognisable...could it be done?"

"In theory yes." She allowed a non-committal shrug, the infinite number of forms Geass could take had never interested her, that had been V.V.'s domain. "I've never seen it manifest in such a way, but I suppose it's possible." Still, supposition wouldn't be enough for him, knowing Lelouch he would probably want to hunt down this boy to find out exactly what they were up against, regardless of what else might be out there. Which brought C.C. to her other note of concern. "Despite all that, I really doubt that there are only three people in the world with Geass."

"And I agree." Lelouch stated with a short nod and narrowed eyes. "However, these players are in position to be a thorn in our side if they're allowed to roam free. D.S. did say there were others in the world with the power to change it in their desired way. Such a dangerous potential must be stamped out before they realise it."

"My, my." She commented, a small smirk of her own now wrapping itself around the Pissaladière she was about to bite into. "How Machiavellian. Isn't your goal to create a gentle world where everyone lives freely?"

"A gentle world based on _my_ design." He corrected, a cruel smile of his own appearing as his fingers interlocked with each other before him. "Anything who threatens that future must be stamped out, regardless of their backgrounds, allegiances, or their loyalty to me."

 _My word, Niccolo would have loved him._ C.C. remembered the Florentine philosopher, though he wasn't one of her contractors it had been his works that helped create the woman she would be for most of her immortal life. And now here was a man who encapsulated the philosophies of _El Principe._ _I've come full circle._ She thought to herself wryly. _Still, better a conqueror than a love-sick exile._ Ah, Dante, why couldn't he have left well enough alone?

"On that note." Lelouch's voice cut into her brief stroll down memory lane, his visage one of complete focus as he returned to the first contractor they'd spoken of. "Leila Breisgau should be eliminated as soon as possible." The girl in question appeared on the screen and C.C. took a good look at her...blond hair, light purple eyes and skin that was just a touch too pale to be of European Caucasian, marking her out as a child of Britannian descent. "Somehow her power manifested as a contractor's worst nightmare. I have no idea how she obtained it or who she formed a contract with, although my suspicions point towards..."

"Me." She cut him off, and by the look on his face that hadn't been what he'd been about to say. "The contractor I told you I felt. That weak presence? She's the one."

For a moment silence reigned and C.C. unconsciously ducked her head back into Cheese-kun's soft top, waiting for Lelouch to speak. A few more seconds stretched between them before he finally replied with a tight, "I see. And when, exactly, did you give her this power?"

 _Oh he's not going to like this._ Both because of her part in this and because of certain events regarding another of her contractors that wouldn't have happened if she'd done her job right. Still, it would have come out sooner or later so she steeled herself and faced his carefully blank stare. "Fifteen years ago, on a cold winter night, I came across a little girl in the woods. She was barely alive and so I took pity on her, and granted her Geass. However..."

The way Lelouch's eyebrow raised just added to her discomfort in what she was about to reveal about Geass. "We didn't enter a contract. A child of her age wouldn't have been able to comprehend what I was offering her, so instead I placed a set of requirements on her power. If she reached adulthood without using it once, the power would disappear."

"Evidently," his voice had only become more strained as her revelation went on and C.C. could see Lelouch was beginning to develop a short tick in his jawline, "the requirements to keep it have been met." He wasn't liking this at all.

Still he would need to know if he hoped to combat this new threat, and so she simply nodded before continuing. "Yes. If she found herself in need of power to save someone dear to her from a cruel fate, her Geass would activate. I can only assume that has come to pass. And before you ask about Mao," she cut him off the moment he opened his mouth, likely to demand just that "he was a mistake in every form of the word. I was frustrated with Marianne for refusing to complete our contract and so I just...lashed out at the first thing I could find, without thinking about the damage I could do."

"Which is why you stayed with him." Lelouch finished for her, his tone thankfully having turned to one of understanding "And even why you eventually left him: Guilt. You couldn't stand the idea that you'd ruined a boy's life when you knew you had the power to save him from that...Even so." The understanding was suddenly replaced with cold sharpness. "He was still your mess to clean up, and because you shirked him off on others, Shirley paid the price."

Yes, yes, she was more than aware that what happened to his innocent little friend was her fault. He'd shouted it at her enough times after that mess at Narita for it to sink in. "I suppose you're going to tell me that the girl is also my mess?" She asked knowingly.

"You know it is." He told her firmly, amethyst eyes now sharply focussed on her above his still interlocked fingers. "The power Leila Breisgau holds is currently the most dangerous piece on the board, a power you gave her. Maybe you saw it as charity, but if our time together has taught me anything it's that everything we do has consequences that eventually catch up to us. This threat we face is the end result of your charity."

He could have said it more diplomatically than that, but then he wouldn't be Lelouch if he did and she wouldn't be C.C. if she couldn't take it. Therefore she shrugged...before a very lewd idea struck her and she decided to play with him a bit.

"If that's what you really want," she accepted before offering him a teasing smirk, "but what if we brought her to our side? She could be a great... _asset."_

She let the last word hang to give him an idea of what sort of 'asset' she was suggesting and after a moment she saw his face shift into consideration. "Hmm...that's a point. Her experience as a commander would be useful, not to mention the respect and loyalty she's earned with her soldiers. If she joined us, we'd probably get all of the infamous W-0 Unit along with her."

"Also," here it came, the perverse side to her suggestion that she'd been leaning towards, "honestly speaking she is a beautiful young woman. Curved in just the right places, and I bet I can find something to do with all that hair. Hmm...she might even make it on top."

 _Wait what?_ C.C. was snapped out of her brief daydream that Lelouch had concocted for her and stared back at the screen where her Warlock was clearly toying with the idea. The idea of that little girl on top of _her_ mortal? Only one person got to be on top and that person just so happened to be a Witch.

"Yes." Lelouch went on, his grin growing as he turned teasing eyes her way. "What need would I have of multiple wives if I had just the one woman who was perfect for me?"

"On second thought!" She cut in before he could go any further, shoving her fake pizza away, "You're right, someone like her would only be trouble for us both somewhere down the line, so I'll just go take care of her."

"Oh will you?" He asked her, smile still in place as she went about making herself somewhat presentable (she'd called him in nothing more than her white tank-top and boy shorts). "That would be much appreciated, C.C. I'll tell Jeremiah to bring his flotilla to back you up, he should be finished in Switzerland by now."

"That would be perfect." She agreed, pulling back on her Britannian garments that she'd tossed this way and that across the bridge. "I'll have her dealt with soon, my Warlock."

"I would expect nothing less of you, my Witch." He replied, looking to be on the verge of laughing, and then cut the transmission.

 _And I will give nothing less._ She assured herself as she picked up her tiara and sounded for all crews to return to their ships. In less than an hour they would be on their way to meet up with Jeremiah to storm the enemy front of Italy. Because no one, Britannian, European, Asian or Australian, took her seat on top of Lelouch.

* * *

 **W-0 Castle _Lupobianco_ , border between France and Italy**

The new headquarters set up for W-0 Unit was not all that different from the old Castle _Weisswolf._ Once again they had situated themselves in a strategically critical location within a castle that stood on the edge of the Graian Alps, Levanna rising in the distance. With the main building itself having been built on one of the smaller rises with slopes on all sides and a series of walls, it was the perfect fit for a military force that was on the defence. And even if the enemy did get all the way up, there was still the huge array of traps beyond the walls just waiting to be deployed and a small army made up of elite pilots.

At the command of this formidable shield was the young Lieutenant Colonel Leila Malcal, who had proven her effective strategies and leadership in the face of battle during the last war with Euro Britannia and now once again had become an image of hope in the EU. Though there had been whispers of a court martial after she ordered a full retreat of all forces under her command during the failed attack on Paris, High Command had been forced to accept that her actions had saved countless resources - and lives - that would surely have been lost once Emperor Lelouch had unleashed his Knightmare's monster weapon. Such an act had made her a hero in the eyes of the soldiers she'd saved and thus all talks of disciplinary action had been dropped.

Instead Leila and her unit had been charged with guarding Italy's border with France, Command suspecting that if Lelouch wanted to get at them he would come over the Alps to do it. In the wake of the recent setbacks the EU had suffered on multiple fronts, that position had ballooned in significance with as many soldiers as could be spared being sent to the castle in anticipation of an aggressive push.

 _I just hope they can actually help us._ It was a sad thing to say, but the soldier in her was telling her that when it came to Knightmare experience, Britannia had them beat. On a positive note though, the W-0 Unit wasn't being hamstrung and was only being sent Alexanders for their pilots, the model having proven itself superior to the Panzers, to the point that over 85% of European factories were now producing them exclusively. _With any luck they'll make up for the experience disadvantage, especially if the BRS works right._ She considered to herself, but even so she had her doubts about it especially after seeing what it had done to Akito.

Still, doubts and uncertainties would get them nowhere and so she moved them to one side and returned her attention to the discussion going on around her in the meeting room. The old core group of W-0, as well as some new additions, had come together to discuss their situation and how best to plan for the future.

Their two elite squads, Wyvern and Asura (who had been sent from the Netherlands), had just joined them and both looked to be on their last breaths. The worst of them all though was definitely Yukiya whose head was wrapped up in bandages and he needed Ryo and Ayano's help to sit down without agitating his wounds. As for the two team leaders, Akito and Ashley sat themselves down next to each other and shared a glance at the state of the other's team.

"Bad day for Brit hunting, huh?" Ashley asked as boisterously as he could but Leila still caught the fatigue in his voice whilst Akito simply nodded. The other leader grimaced before looking over at Yukiya. "What happened to him?"

"Emperor Lelouch happened." He simply stated, silencing the whole of Ashley's team who turned to look at him in disbelief. "He came at us in a black Knightmare and forced us out of our landing zone by himself."

"Seriously?" Asked Simon. "He didn't have any back up?"

"Just a beat up Gloucester that he told not to butt in." Ryo replied through gnashing teeth, as had become his standard mode of speech any time someone brought up that fight. Not that Leila could blame him, everyone was aware of the opportunity that had slipped by them that day. "He even came out of his cockpit so we knew it was him. Bastard."

"Shit." Ashley muttered, leaning back in his seat. "So all that footage wasn't staged eh? He really fought." He let out a heavy sigh before pinching the bridge of his nose. "And I thought our mission sucked."

"What happened?" Ayano asked him, looking up from Yukiya and seeing his grim look. "Were you unable to take the base?"

But he just snorted, "Oh no, we took it just fine. Turns out though it had been stripped before we arrived." He managed a short laugh when he saw their stunned faces, though it was hollow and bitter. "That's not even the worst of it. Apparently the emperor liked that base enough to send his new Knight of Two to clear us out. Completely devastated our ranks...well, save for us."

He gave out another laugh though it was once again a shallow thing, something Leila had come to realise was his way of coping with things. 'Laugh so you don't cry' or something along those lines and she couldn't say it was unwarranted. The fact that Lelouch was replacing the Rounds so quickly boded ill for Europe; the Knights of the Round were more than just warriors, they represented the top degree of warfare in the world. If even one was present on a battlefield it was likely that battle would go to Britannia.

 _And I thought we just had those red Knightmares to worry about._ Leila thought to herself grimly as the remaining body of W-0's core group entered the room. Military doctrine would have them salute, but given their tired expressions from all the preparation work over the last week she waived such formalities, indicating for Akito to dim the lights, standing from her own seat behind her desk and coming round to speak to everyone up front.

As she made her way around she caught the tail end of Takeru Randle - Sophie's husband and inventor of the Brain Raid System, who had been in a coma until recently - enquire after Yukiya's health. The boy in question smiled, weakly but grateful all the same, and told him he was fine. It brought some warmth to Leila's heart to see him so readily accepted by her people, especially the pilots of Wyvern, giving her hope that there was still a chance for them.

For now though, she had grim news to report and so, as the lights went down and she came to the centre before the room's main screen, she set herself up to add to her two squadron leaders' own reports.

"As we're all assembled, I believe a short recap is required." She started, her words bringing attentive silence to everyone collected. "As a starting point, how much damage are you aware our forces have suffered in the last week?" She raised a hand at Akito and Ashley, not wishing to add their content just yet, her focus mainly on the new arrivals - officers and scientists - who gave her honest but light shrugs.

Seeing their response, Leila saw no more need to hold back and switched on the screen. To the shock and horror of many of her people it was a photo of eradicated Alexanders numbering in the dozens just outside of Madrid. "What you are seeing is the tip of our losses." She told them all grimly, flicking to a more personal battle in Paris, the records of Wyvern squad serving as the source, where Emperor Lelouch's personal Knightmare did battle with her best soldiers and defeated them. "Over the last seven days, the EU has lost over 45% of its overall fighting strength."

The bad news didn't stop there as she motioned to one of her officers, Oscar Hammel, who grimly filled them in on the larger picture of how such losses had occurred. "Since Lelouch's declaration all of France has been retaken, the Netherlands were shut out before we even gained a foothold, Spain has been reconquered and already half of Germany is in their hands." If that wasn't enough for the silent group whose eyes had burst wide at the bad picture he was drawing, he added on at the end "And we received word twelve hours ago that Bern and Lausanne have fallen too, we have to assume by now that all of Switzerland is waving the Britannian flag."

"Are you shitting me?!" Ryo snapped, glaring at him, "How's the bastard beating us so quickly?!"

"I have to agree." Anna Clément spoke up quietly, a troubled look on her fair features. "Britannia never pushed this far inland under Emperor Charles and he was a master of war."

"Well then Lelouch is obviously our worst nightmare." Claus Warwick suggested, scowling at even voicing what everyone in this room had dreaded: "He's better than his old man. We saw a kid when we should've seen a general and now we're paying for it."

It was a harsh way of putting it, but Leila was inclined to agree. It was the same mistake she'd made when she ordered Akito to bring the emperor in, thinking he was just a melodramatic boy playing hero. The heavy handed defeat he'd granted them - and by extension, her - accompanied by the swift regrouping of the Britannians in Paris had served to relieve her of that notion.

However it seemed there were still some naysayers in the ranks, namely Oscar who shook a disbelieving head at his fellow officer. "I'm sorry, Claus, but I just can't see it." He stated mulishly, "A mere child doesn't have the experience to beat the EU's Generals by himself. It's just his commanders' own abilities that he's taking credit for, and that we're giving to him."

In an ideal world Leila would have agreed with him, this unknown royal who'd suddenly appeared over a month ago and swiftly taken the crown for himself simply shouldn't be possible. Yet from the information she'd recently become privy to, there was at least now some sort of explanation for how he could have become who he was today.

Speaking of, a light chuckle from the door had everyone turning in surprise as her guest made herself known. "Oh my, how typically male. Even now when Britannia's set to stick their swords up your proverbial ass, you still deny your enemy's competence."

"Who are you?!" Oscar demanded, going for his gun.

"Stand down!" Leila immediately yelled, freezing him in his tracks and bringing all attention back to her and off the silver haired young woman who was scanning the group with an air of apathy. "Oscar, this woman is here at my request. She has information that I think is vital to understanding our enemy."

Rather than explaining further she backed off as soon as it looked like Oscar wouldn't kill their new addition and the woman threw her a saucy wink before sauntering into the room and propping herself up on the desk. "Thanks Leila." She said whimsically before turning her attention to the group at large. "Now, before anyone asks for a name, it's X. Or Miss X. Or 'Mistress,' for you lucky ones."

She leaned forward on her hands, just enough to show off a little cleavage, which got most of Asura Team staring just a little bit more intently than before. Wyvern were a bit more varied, with Ryo following Asura's lead whilst Yukiya looked at her with some level of interest, and Ayano just scowled at them and Miss X in intervals. As for Akito, he remained where he was revealing nothing in reaction to her actions.

If the officers weren't annoyed with her before they were now, and Leila was about to ask her to get back on topic before Oscar really did shoot her but X turned to flash a mocking smirk at him. "As for why I'm here, well quite frankly Britannia's beating you so easily it's embarrassing. All because of 'that boy.'" In the face of the glare that raised on his face she just giggled before going on. "If you keep up the way you have been, thinking him just a kid, then what happened to your forces in the Netherlands will look like a gentle spanking by comparison.

Her mention got a reaction out of Asura Team, namely Ashley who went straight as a pole, and Leila had to wonder if there was more to their story that she hadn't heard yet. She would soon find out too as Joe Wise pulled out the lollipop in his mouth, asking, "What're you talking about, lady?"

Instead of answering herself, she just turned knowing eyes to Asura Team, which had everyone else looking at them too wondering what it was they were hiding. After a moment at glancing at each other, the former Euro-Britannians nodded at each other and Ashley stepped up to speak. It had to be said though, the memory seemed to have him shaken.

"Well, you guys probably know we were with the guys in the Netherlands, yeah?" Everyone nodded, not needing to be told that they'd lost that area a second time. "Well, the thing is, our company was wiped out by the Knight of Two. _Just_ the Knight of Two. No ships or support whatsoever." He paused to let that sink in for everyone, and Leila was glad he did. She hadn't heard that part yet! What the hell kind of monster had the emperor found that could wipe out an entire company all by themselves?

Again, the wait to find out wasn't long as Ashley went on to say, shortly and grimly. "She piloted a machine she called 'Amber,' a Knightmare based on an advanced Lancelot model."

That brought everyone up short yet again, this time out of sheer unmasked terror. The White Reaper had spawned a successor?! The original Lancelot alone had been a horrifying prospect, but to think that there was now something even more dangerous... Leila, and a few others she noted, stared at Ashley with new found awe. _How did he get out of there alive?_

With that shocking delivery it was understandable that they missed something of import that Hilda Fagan, one of Anna's subordinates, brought up after recovering. "'She?' The new Knight of Two is a woman?"

Her question snapped them out of it and Ashley was about to respond but Miss X, who had also remained unmoved, beat him to it. "A girl by the name of Cinder Fall." She revealed to them all before shrugging. "That's about all I know about her, she's basically been a no show until now. The really interesting thing is her machine."

So saying, she pulled out a USB stick and inserted it into the built in drive on the desk. A moment later, the images of ruin were replaced by that of a white red and black monster of a machine that clearly resembled the dreaded Lancelot. Leila took a good look at it and immediately felt a shiver running down her spine, this thing wasn't a variation like the Gareths were of the Gawain; if she had to put a word to what she was looking at it would be the _perfected_ version of the Lancelot, what it had always been intended to be.

"Ginger's right that this thing is based off Europe's favourite reaper." X stated, her focus solely on the new machine. "From what I've heard it's called Amber:Tertiary, and we can assume it has all the same systems as its predecessor only far more advanced. Also," she carried on carelessly, not once acknowledging the growing images of horror on everyone's faces, flicking on to another image, "I figured you'd want to know about the other new players the emperor has employed."

This time it was the face of the new Knight of One, William Bishop, staring back at them, along with that of a man they didn't recognise who wore an eye-patch over his right eye and had a manic grin on his face. "You're all familiar with the Knight of One by now." X didn't give them a chance to answer, powering right on "The one next to him is his long time friend and former cell mate, Peter Thomson, who Lelouch has named the Knight of Three."

"Cell mate?" Franz repeated "They were in prison? What for?"

"Oh nothing much." X stated blandly, "Just an attempted assassination nine years ago."

Her offhand mention of such an act had everyone staring at her again, now though as if she was absolutely dotty. Even Leila couldn't hide her incredulity, these men were placed in prison for high treason and Miss X treated it like it was nothing? _Maybe I should revise my former opinion of this woman being an 'able mind.'_ She considered to herself as X finally took note of the looks she was getting and merely cocked her head at them.

"What? It's not like such a thing is new for Britannia, anyone remember the Emblem of Blood Wars from fifty years ago? You guys're lucky they were busy killing each other at the time or they might have wanted in on your own little spat." It was winces all around at that statement, the Great European War of 1979-83 was a grim chapter in the history of Europa United but the idea that if Britannia's royals hadn't been killing each other they would instead be having fun rolling up the map sat even worse on their shoulders.

Regardless it had nothing to do with the current discussion which was why Miss X immediately moved on, "Anyway, point is, these guys plotted to kill Emperor Charles back in '09. Obviously they failed and were chucked into Alcatraz." Here she paused as a small grin rose up her lips, "The interesting bit is that before all that went down, Bishop here was the Knight of Two whilst his buddy Thomson was one of the test pilots for the Glasgow prototype."

She was stopped from continuing when she spotted something that made her snort. "You're kidding with the hand up right?"

Her comment was made toward the raised arm of one of Sophie's subordinates, Kate Novak, who immediately dropped it back down blushing with embarrassment on being called on it. Still though she went ahead and asked her question. "Um...why would they betray the emperor? Aren't knights sworn to their king or something? Shouldn't they not want to do something like that?"

Her words elicited more than a couple of condescending eyerolls, whilst more than one member of Asura Team facepalmed at the girl's naivety, and even Leila couldn't help a small level of annoyance at the girl's quite ignorant question. Just because they were Britannian didn't immediately equal blind obedience to their emperor, her birth parents were proof of that.

Miss X, however, just took it in stride as if she was a teacher in class. "You'd be right, sweetie, except even if he did say the words of loyalty to the emperor, William Bishop's true allegiance was only ever to one person."

Her answer followed another change of the image on the screen, going from two men's faces to a snapshot of a beautiful young woman with raven hair, dressed in the formal attire of a Knight of Honour, standing upon the hand of a giant blue Knightmare Frame. Even as the catcalling and murmuring from some of the younger male members of their group began, Leila was already studying the woman now before her and had noticed some things that rang a bell. There was something familiar about her.

"Who's that then?" Ayano asked, a peeved note in her tone likely brought on by the attitude of her comrades at an old photo.

Miss X smirked before going on, "This, darlings, is Her Royal Highness, Fifth Consort of Former Emperor Charles zi Britannia and Empress of the Holy Britannian Empire: Marianne vi Britannia."

" _Vi_ Britannia?" The up-till-now silent Claus repeated, an eyebrow raising as the others caught on to his stressing the name. "You mean she's...?"

"And golden medal for the handsome man with the stubble." X praised, winking flirtatiously at him before returning her attention to the group in full. "Everyone, allow me to introduce you to Lelouch vi Britannia's mother."

Another moment was allowed to pass as they all took that in, though for some it was a missing piece that answered some questions with regards to Lelouch. As far as Leila was concerned, this now started to explain his good pilot skills. This Marianne could only be Marianne 'the Flash,' at one time the most skilled human being with a Knightmare Frame, if Lelouch was really her son then perhaps some of her talent had rubbed off.

For others, it was a more...upfront feature of hers that the viewers noted first, which Ryo initially brought up. "Damn...y'know, for a Britannian, she's hot."

"That's a given." Simon agreed readily, a rather telling grin spreading over his face as he continued. "Heh, I'd like to stick my sword in her sheath if you know what I me-ow! Franz, what the hell?!"

"Aside from the fact that you're slobbering over a married woman." The gentleman of Asura Team muttered, giving Ayano an approving nod as she followed his example and slapped Ryo upside the head. "That's the mother of the man who's cut our territory in half!"

"Not to mention, before she was Empress, she was the Knight of Two." Miss X added on, grinning icily as the two boys immediately shot ramrod again, as if the picture of the woman would suddenly come to life and strike them down with that same pleasant smile she had on her face. And now they were getting to the bit Leila had been told, the reason behind the arrival of this strange woman and the tale she had woven. As such, she was the only one who didn't react when the storyteller went on to say "She is also dead. Assassinated in her own home nine years ago."

"Huh?" This collective response of disbelief led them all to looking at the picture of the woman again and then at the thick red bar at the bottom of it where in white capitals was printed the word 'DECEASED.' Save for Leila who had already been aware of this bit, so it was her who answered when Ayano asked. "Wait, the Knight of Two was killed in her own home and no one knows about it? How the hell does that happen?"

"It was kept very quiet." She explained, a small frown forming as she remembered what Miss X had told her. "Anyone who had a connection to Marianne was disavowed or, if they were nobility, financially ruined; the Ashford family is the prime example, virtually all their assets were seized and they were forced to leave Britannia out of fear for their lives. But," and now her frown turned into a scowl as the final bit came forth, "that doesn't match what the emperor did to his own son."

"His son?" Yukiya spoke up quietly, wincing a bit from his head wound. "You mean Lelouch?"

"Hmm." She nodded at him tightly. "Apparently, when Emperor Charles called off the investigation into his own wife's murder" she allowed a brief moment to allow the disbelieving exclamations to get out and then went on, "Prince Lelouch called an audience to demand an explanation."

"Hang on," Ryo interrupted, "the future emperor, who had to be a kid at the time, _demanded_ something from Charles zi Britannia?!" After she gave him a simple nod, he let out a small whistle. "Damn, the bastard has balls of steel."

Admittedly some part of Leila agreed with him. Despite the fact that he was an enemy, it was still incredible that there was anyone who could stand up to that giant of a man directly to his face. But still... "Those balls didn't save him from exile." Miss X cut in, pulling the number of admiring murmurs back to her. "As a result for speaking out, Lelouch lost his position as Eleventh Prince and was given to Prime Minister Genbu Kururugi as a hostage."

"G-Genbu?!" Ayano exclaimed, in fact her statement spoke for all the Japanese members of W-0 who were now staring at her wide-eyed. "Then he was...?"

"That's right, deary." X nodded with a light smile, "Britannia's current Emperor was in your homeland when everything went to hell for you and yours."

"But the emperor got him out of there," Kate continued for her with quite a bit more hope in her tone, considering who they were talking about, "right?"

But X just shook her head at her, "Nope. From what I've found no such order was ever given. I'm only speculating here, but it's pretty obvious that Lelouch was left to die in the invasion."

Such a callous act voiced so dispassionately had many of the group muttering amongst themselves, once again in disbelief at what they were being told. It was Akito's words though, his first contribution to the discussion, that encapsulated their thoughts: "His family abandoned him."

His words were agreed upon by the others and there were even a couple of looks of pity for their enemy, something Leila noticed most prominently on Akito's face. It wasn't hard to work out why: Akito's older brother, Shinn Hyuga Shaing, had used and then abandoned him at a young age too. To hear this story again had to have him identifying with the emperor more than maybe should be good for a soldier.

The only one not affected was Miss X herself who went on as if she were discussing nail polish, her legs swaying as they did. "The trail goes cold after that until a month and a half ago when he returns with a royal guard of his own, captained by another admirer of his mother, and announces himself emperor after killing the previous one." She shrugged and offered a lazy smile. "As stories go, it's pretty fantastic, don't you agree?"

Fantastic or not, it was more than they'd known about the emperor before, which was why Leila had wanted X to tell her story to the others as well. It had given her some idea as to where Lelouch had become so competent a strategist. Even if X's story was inaccurate, he still would have had to learn to plan ahead by several steps in order to stay out of the empire's hands as long as he had and that didn't even account as to how he somehow managed to kill his father. Such ability to plan ahead, taking almost everything into account, could easily be applied to warfare if he was good enough...and as the state of the EU would suggest, he was more than good enough.

"So the guy didn't like his family." Ryo summed up the last five minutes pretty bluntly before snorting. "So what? What does that have to do with the Rounds?"

"It has everything to do with them, Ryo." Leila told him firmly, glancing at X who just nodded at her. "William Bishop was loyal only to Marianne vi Britannia. To learn that her son is now emperor would be a dream come true for him, making him the obvious choice for a new Knight of One. Peter Thomson is a violent man but he respects strength; Lelouch killing Charles would make him the most powerful person he'd ever known." Here she shrugged. "I can't say a lot for the Knight of Two, but there's probably a story of dislike for the former emperor there as well."

"What about the Knight of Four?" Chloe Winkel, another of Anna's assistants, asked. "There're four of them now, right? We've only talked about three of them."

"Ah the new boy." Miss X nodded in recognition before sighing and shrugging her shoulders with a little half smile. "Sorry, but when it comes to him there's even less than on Cinder Fall. A complete unknown who came out of nowhere after Lelouch declared war. We don't even know what sort of Knightmare he uses. All we have is a name: Arthur Calhoun."

That name didn't mean much to Leila, but it sparked something in the members of Wyvern squad who were now glancing at each other questioningly. She was about to ask what it was they thought they knew, but when she tried to open her mouth the whole room shook as something exploded outside.

 _The hell?!_ Even as the others pulled themselves up, Yukiya needing help from Ayano, Leila rushed back around her desk and tapped another button for the main screen. The image of Marianne vi Britannia vanished, replaced with an external shot of the base. What was there caused several of the girls to gasp with shock, whilst the officers stood staring wide-eyed at the image and Leila herself felt something chill run through her soul. On the outskirts of their castle, just beyond the range of their defences, hovered an entire Britannian air-flotilla.

She could just barely hear her officers starting to bark into their headpieces, demanding why they hadn't been alerted to the enemy presence sooner. For her though such thoughts didn't matter - Britannia was here at last, and W-0 was the only thing that stood in their way to conquering Italy. Thus she turned around and immediately assumed command. "To your stations!" She ordered them all firmly, "Command staff to the CIC, pilots to their machines - not you Yukiya." She pointed to the boy's head injury, stopping him in his tracks. "You're going back to med bay."

"But commander!" He protested, but that was all he managed as he suddenly winced again just from the sharp movement.

He wasn't allowed to get a second wind either as Sophie got a hold of him and started leading him away. "You can barely walk right now, let alone fight an army." She told him sharply before sending the rest of Wyvern squad a reassuring look. "I'll get him to med bay and make sure he stays there."

The rest of the team nodded and said their farewells to their comrade before he could protest any further. Sighing in relief that that potential problem had been started before it began, Leila turned to the only remaining person in the room. "We'll have to finish this discussion later," she told Miss X.

"Of course." She agreed with a light wave of her hand, hardly having moved from her spot on the desk. "Believe me, you'll want to hear the rest."

Undoubtedly sure that she would, Leila nodded to her guest and then made her own way out of the meeting room. However, even as she made her way to the CIC, she couldn't help the feeling that someone, somewhere, was watching her.

* * *

Battle was joined not long after the fleet had fired the first volley and the Britannian forces quickly got to work dishing out hell upon their enemy. While true the EU's base had been heavily fortified with any number of traps and tricks and other means of killing a lot of people very quickly, they were all designed to deal with ground forces and infantry. It was a weakness that the white Vincent Wards, renamed 'Vultures' by His Majesty, used to their advantage, strafing the skies and bombing the European positions before diving in and slicing up anything they found.

This weakness wasn't present on the castle itself however, as its ground-to-air cannons immediately got to work targeting and blasting any number of Knightmares out of the sky. However, quantity was a quality all in itself in this battle and as such the losses were far from crippling, not to mention that the cannons did nothing to the ships themselves.

For Jeremiah Gottwald, it was further proof of his master's brilliance as he carried out Emperor Lelouch's strategy to the letter. Such thinking had never been his strong point, he was better with group tactics than anything on this scale, but with His Majesty's great mind at work, victory was sure to be their's once again.

"Do not falter!" He cried over his radio on an open channel for all to hear. "We are the instrument of His Majesty, we shall not shame him with bringing him anything less than total victory!" So saying, he and the two Centurions and the Sutherland Sieg's back dived down straight for the outer wall where a squad of navy blue Alexanders had just taken up position to defend. "Now then..." Jeremiah intoned, "TASTE THE STORM OF MY LOYALTY!"

On his last syllable, every missile pod on the massive Knight Giga Fortress opened up, launching every single one of its explosives out onto the wall and the poor squad of European machines that were in its path.

"The wall is breached!" Jeremiah called out, "All forces advance!"

At his command, the Sutherlands and Gloucesters that had been waiting at the walls began to move for the opening and were soon streaming up the mountain towards the enemy's second line of defence. There were likely to be Alexanders waiting for them but a little help from the Vultures would keep things nice and even whilst he and the Scarlet Guard carried out the true objective of this battle.

"Our primary goal," Jeremiah stated on a private channel to the two Centurions, "is the destruction of their stratospheric launcher. If we knock that out, they'll be unable to land their forces behind our lines. Whilst we carry out that mission, Lady C.C. will find and eliminate the special target."

The target in question was Leila Malcal - or Breisgau, or whatever name she was calling herself these days - who had been harbouring a dreaded secret all this time. His Majesty had confided in him that the girl had a power similar to his own except it could destroy Geass as well. Such knowledge was infuriating. How dare that girl use such power to cause strife to His Majesty's goals?! _If Lady C.C. fails then I will personally hunt this woman down and kill her myself! So says Jeremiah Got-!_

His thoughts were cut off though by fire from below and he was force to pull the Sieg away from the ground. _Who dares?!_ Coming about Jeremiah spotted a group of three Alexanders, two of which were painted white whilst the lead seemed to have been heavily modified and was wielding a Japanese katana. "Who are you to fire upon me, Jeremiah Gottwald?!"

As he was on an open frequency he was able to catch the conversation between his new opponents who were still taking careful aim at him. "Gottwald?" The first asked, a woman by the sounds of it. "Isn't that the captain of Lelouch's Royal Guard?"

Ah, so it would seem his reputation preceded him. He allowed himself a satisfied smirk as the second pilot, considerable male and loud uncouth by his tone agreed with the first one's guess. "Yeah, he's the guy who dropped from the ceiling and broke all those guards halberds with just a kick!" Oh yes, what a splendid day that had been, bringing his master home to his rightful place in society had been the greatest honour he had yet to receive.

The loud one wasn't done yet though as he pondered something. "Hang on, wasn't he the guy Zero absolutely ruined too? What was the name everyone called him?" he paused for a moment before an audible click was heard through the speaker. "Yeah that was it! Orange-kun!"

The laughter that followed only lasted a second as, the moment after, the Sutherland Sieg's Hyper-Velocity Cannon fired right at him causing the man to curse loudly and the whole team to pull back some. As for Jeremiah himself, he was positively fuming. "Orange?" He demanded silently...before repeating loudly, "ORANGE?! HOW DARE YOU BASE DREGS SPEAK THE NAME OF MY LOYALTY?!"

The word 'Orange' had been a source of strife for him in the past, yes, but now with the knowledge that it was Lelouch himself that had named him such, for Jeremiah that word had been the beginning of his redemption. Coming through pain, humiliation and suffering at the hands of that obese oaf Bartley, he had been reborn as a better man, a greater man, one who could stand beside his master with pride. All because of the word 'Orange.'

And he would be damned if the word of his renewal would be sullied by these worthless rags of a dead era!

Therefore he sent the Sieg straight down towards the three machines, launching the front lance harkens at them which scattered them, giving him the perfect opening to fire a second volley of rockets their way. The Alexanders were forced backwards until they were forced to hide behind a wall that the Sieg's large size couldn't get around, but that was all right because Jeremiah could always just blow it away with his cannon.

As he charged up a shot, the conversation of the team continued with the girl chastising her team mate. "Honestly Ryo, what's your problem? First off you piss off the Emperor enough that he put Yukiya in the hospital and now you're getting the captain of his guard mad? Do you have a death wish or something?"

"Hey!" The one identified as Ryo snapped back defensively. "It's not my fault he has such a dumb title!"

They suddenly went quiet again, likely because they were getting orders from their commander, but they already said enough for Jeremiah to realise who it was he was fighting. His Majesty had mentioned a group of Japanese pilots fighting for the EU. _T_ _he Ghost of Hannibal._ Suddenly his scowl diminished some to be replaced with an excited grin, _how fortuitous for me!_

Suddenly they were on the move again, coming out from their shoddy cover and made for the second wall. How foolish, even if they could get there they'd never be able to scale it before someone blew them away. And just coincidentally, the cannon was ready to fire. Even so, Jeremiah hesitated for little more than a millisecond to acknowledge his disappointment that the dreaded Wyvern squad wasn't more of a challenge to him... _oh well,_ and then he hit the firing mechanism. However, his brief pause would cost him as, just as the cannon discharged, the Sieg was suddenly struck from the side by new enemy fire that sent the shot wide and away from the white machines.

 _What the devil?!_ Looking around, he caught sight of a red Alexander that had been heavily modified like the purple one leading the Wyverns coming at him from the left. Behind it was a team of red Gloucesters that had their rifles aimed at him and fired off another volley, forcing him further away from the white team.

 _Traitors?_ If so then there was no reason to show them any mercy. "Centurions!"

At his word, the two machines of the Scarlet Guard rushed to his side to cover him, the one on the left charging the red custom Alexander whilst the one on the right opened fire on the team itself with his VARIS. The blast succeeded in scattering the red team but only for a moment as they quickly reformed their line after each successive shot, making it clear these weren't some underpaid grunts that thought switching sides would provide greater luxury. _Professional turncoats then?_ Jeremiah wondered to himself as the red custom unit launched for one of the Centurions with a sword, which clashed against the Scarlet Guard's spear.

 _In that case..._ Snarling a growl of true hatred for the betrayers of His Majesty's confidence, Jeremiah brought the Sieg's cannon to bear yet again and was yet again dissuaded from using it by the return of the white team. Their own custom Alexander came straight at him and was ballsy enough to jump onto the Sieg.

 _So he hopes to pierce my shell, does he?_ Jeremiah allowed himself a smirk as his cybernetic systems began to activate some of the new features on the Sutherland Sieg. _I think not._

After Lloyd and Cecile had been brought into the fold, Emperor Lelouch had ordered improvements on more than just the Shinkiro. With the Sieg as big as it was, a lack of defence was simply out of the question and so Lloyd had installed a Blaze Luminous system that could be activated through Jeremiah's Direct Link functions should he need it. That was exactly what he did now just before the custom unit landed, a green barrier shooting up around the entire Knight Giga Fortress, which the Alexander crashed into instead and was forced to jump away from when the lance harkens were brought to bear.

Landing on the wall beneath the Sieg, the purple unit armed its rifle and began firing at the giant machine's underbelly, for all the good it did the pilot. Confident smile still in place, the Hyper-Velocity Cannon again was armed, but to Jeremiah's increasing frustration with these little pests, a projectile from a rocket launcher slammed into the Sieg again pushing him away from his intended target.

Growling in annoyance, he pulled the Sieg back and glared up at where the shot had fired. On the second defensive wall behind the custom unit, there was a whole squadron of navy blue Alexanders armed with bazookas, along with seven orange versions of the model.

"So." Jeremiah started over an open channel as the custom unit came about and joined up with his newly arrived comrades. "Even more have come to meet their fates."

"Keep talking, Orange boy!" A new, equally obnoxious voice to the last one who mocked his title shot back as the red custom unit as his team pulled up on the wall, followed by the white Alexander team. "Me and my boys aren't dying today!"

"No indeed." He could agree to that as he glared at the Gloucesters in the red unit's ranks. "You and your followers will be brought alive to His Majesty's court where you will beg forgiveness for your abandoned loyalty!"

Numerically speaking, the Europeans had the advantage and the new arrivals were fresh unlike the two teams he had engaged. Also he and the Centurions had already been fighting for some time, his cybernetics gave him a bit of an advantage but the Scarlet Guard were only human. Nevertheless they had something these fools didn't: full committed loyalty to their leader and cause!

Thus it was with confidence that Jeremiah readied his lance harkens for the second bout, his actions causing the Centurions to follow suit by arming their rifles, which triggered the enemy group to prepare their own weapons for renewed combat. "Before that though," he began, "I would have the name of the leader of these rebels as well as that of the foolish Europeans who you've thrown your lot in with."

"Yeah?" The red custom unit's pilot snarked back at him. "Well I'm the one and only badass of badasses, Ashley Ashra!" It wasn't a name Jeremiah was familiar with, but he cared little as the red machine pointed to the purple unit, "And this here's my buddy Akito!"

The purple unit's pilot - Akito - when he spoke, was much calmer than his vitriolic friend. "You should retreat now, Britannian." He told him. "This day will not be one of defeat for us. I promise you that." So saying, his machine drew its katana and brought it into a ready stance.

"Yeah come at us!" Ashra yelled at him in agreement. "Me and my boys're gonna kick your ass, Jerry!"

"Is that so?" Jeremiah asked, a small dark laugh escaping his lungs, before he bellowed aloud. "Very well then! Show me your power!" Without further warning he launched the Sutherland Sieg forwards, the Centurions quick to follow in after him. "And I shall show you fools the strength and loyalty of Emperor Lelouch's Orange Knight!"

* * *

Inside the base's CIC, statistics and reports flooded every screen and were voiced through every headpiece as Leila did all in her power to keep the Britannian's at bay. So far she seemed to have managed that. Even if the numbers of their own losses were grim (estimates were that they were down to 65% full strength already) the fact remained that, for the moment, the line was holding at the second defensive wall. Even the enemy commander, from what she'd heard, was engaged in battle so that was something to be relieved about.

Nevertheless, she wasn't about to take her eyes off of what had to be the enemy's target. "What's the status of the launcher?" She demanded for the fifth time since the battle began.

"Still intact and being defended with everything we have." Claus reported from his seat. "But damn if those guys aren't making it hard, they seem to have divided up their force into teams to get the drop on us."

That made sense, send the main body to draw off as many as they could and strike with smaller groups that had a better chance of reaching the objective. They weren't leaving this to chance, they knew just as well as Leila did how important it was that the stratospheric launcher remained active, especially now. It had been how so many of the EU's forces had been able to get passed Britannia's defences in countries like France and Spain during the first day of the war. Now though it was doubly important if they ever hoped to launch a counter attack.

From his own monitor, Joe let out a whistle that brought Leila's attention to him. "Damn, they're not kidding around either. Just got word from Captain Hammel. He, Wyvern and Asura have engaged Jeremiah Gottwald and two of those Scarlet Guard Knightmares."

That brought her up short for a moment as she processed what she'd just been told; the Emperor's Guard Captain was here? Even so she didn't have long to question it as the main screen switched from the tactical overlay of the castle to live video footage of a vicious battle just meters away from the second defensive perimeter. Ashley's team were engaging the two red Knightmares with all their worth whilst Akito led Wyvern squad and all of Hammel's squadron against a massive orange machine that had been reported being seen in Switzerland.

Undoubtedly that large unit had to be Sir Gottwald's, though Leila was more concerned with the fact that despite their numerical advantage the Britannian side was gradually pushing their line back. Despite its bulk the huge thing was still fast enough to stave off any attack sent its way by Akito and the others and then go on the offensive to devastating levels of destruction as a firing of that large cannon mounted on its belly quickly proved.

After a moment of thinking, Leila addressed Joe, "Tell Hammel to disengage and return to the main battle. Asura and Wyvern are to draw the enemy north."

The scientist gave her a grim look but nodded and did as he was told. She knew what he was thinking and, to a point, she felt the same: It was a harsh thing to leave this battle up to just two teams but it was the right call to make, at the very least bringing Gottwald and his backup north would keep him out of the way of the launcher.

Still there was something about all of this that bothered her. Why had Lelouch sent his royal guard of all people to this battle? Reports still placed him in Germany so logically speaking he would want them close to him. Then there was where said guard had focussed their attack, that location did put them in the direction of the launcher but the way they had been going about their tactics suggested they were barely interested in it. Other teams had already made assaults on it by now without making themselves so visible. It all smelt of a deception...but to what ends.

"Leila!" The call from Olivia Reuel would provide her with an answer as she turned to her. "We've got a problem with the surveillance on the first floor."

"What kind of a problem?" She asked, frowning.

"They've gone dark." The blonde officer informed her.

Her report brought reactions of shock from the command staff, which was compounded as they quickly swapped visuals to what should have been footage of the first floor corridors of the castle, only to be met with static. The same was shown on the frontal defences and, most worrying of all, the main gate had also gone dark.

"Is it the enemy already?" Chloe whimpered, trembling in ill-disguised fear.

 _It must be._ Leila concluded to herself, though she was at a loss as to how they could have penetrated the second and third defensive layers without being detected. A group of commandos was the most likely explanation but even so they didn't usually take out the cameras, that was a spec-ops move but it couldn't be them because they usually attacked _before_ the battle started. _Who the hell is this?_

Ruminating on what branch it was could wait though and she quickly sent orders to dispatch what guards they had to the lower levels. The enemy objective was most likely to cause chaos in their ranks by wiping out the command structure, in other words everyone in this room. It was what they did when _Weisswolf_ fell so Leila had little doubt that they'd try it again. As such her soldiers were to intercept the enemy as soon as they could and keep them at bay for as long as possible. _I just wish we knew what we were fighting!_

Her wish was soon to be granted by Olivia as she suddenly called up to her, "I've got visual on the enemy intruders!"

The main screen then switched to a hallway where European soldiers were firing down a corridor at what looked to be Britannian infantrymen, hardly what had been expected. Suddenly, the enemy soldiers ceased fire and ducked back behind cover. For a moment it appeared that their people had won this little skirmish, however the glad tidings were cut short when a new individual from the Britannian end of the corridor suddenly sprinted forwards. Whoever or whatever it was, they never got a clear view as the unknown arrival quickly got in close despite the renewed fire from their people, looking for all intents and purposes like a white blur.

What happened next, they could only guess at as one moment the two heavily armed frontline troops were standing with the new enemy in between them and the next they had collapsed backwards, hands going to their throats as blood spilled from unseen slits to their throats. Before Leila could order her staff to get a closer look at the newcomer, the image vanished under renewed fire from the Britannian infantry. The only thing they caught before the image died was a glint of gold that trimmed the white.

"That was the second floor." Olivia reported, her tone unnerved at what they'd just seen. "You can bet they're moving up."

Leila could only nod, herself still shaken by the quick and clinical way that white streak had dispatched their toughened defences. Gulping down, she asked "Where are they now?"

"Still on the second...no wait, they've already made it to level three!" Kate reported fearfully.

And there really was an air of fear in the CIC as everyone started glancing at each other, memories of the fall of _Weisswolf_ likely going through their minds as they did in Leila's. The Britannians were coming, with some sort of super soldier leading the charge, and they had only Sarah and Pierre - aside from herself and Claus - who had any real military training. This didn't stop the two girls from immediately arming themselves should the worst case scenario played out, but it did trigger a panicked reaction from Joe who started quaking uncontrollably.

"Easy Joe!" Takeru admonished as lightly as he could, he and Sophie coming over to try their best at keeping him, "They won't get us. We're not dying here. Everything's going to be all right."

"All right?!" The patented candy lover repeated incredulously, his red lollipop flying out of his mouth and spittle coating his friend's face as he anxiously exclaimed. "No! It won't be all right! You weren't there when Euro Britannia hit us! They didn't stop at anything and we almost died! And these guys?" He pointed at his screen that was still showing data from the battle outside, "These're the real deal, led by some assassin and commanded by an emperor even better at conquering nations than the last one!"

"Mister Wise!" Leila snapped through his increasingly loud nay saying, gathering the attention of several others as well as she fixed him with a harsh stare "Calm yourself this instant! Your attitude is discouraging the staff!" Her words were true, the more he talked the greater fear she'd caught in the other members of the command staff, even Claus was throwing the odd anxious glance at the doorway as if expecting the Britannians to burst in any second. Still, her short reprimand seemed to be getting through to the others whilst Sophie did her bit to calm Joe down. Once it seemed they were back to an acceptable level of control she carried on.

"Getting scared now is pointless, all we can do now is continue to do our duty." It was short and not nearly reassuring, but right now she couldn't afford to be. She was a soldier, dying in battle was always possible. The least she could do now was hold out as long as possible, maybe get as many people out of here as she could and maybe even survive herself. But to do that she needed information that she could only get through the others. As such she turned to Kate and asked firmly, "Where are the intruders now?"

The anxious girl turned to look back at her screen and immediately her eyes went wide as she all but shrieked, "They're right outside the door!"

Her alarming declaration had everyone near the large steel door spinning around to face it, Sarah and Pierre aiming their rifles at it whilst Claus made sure the locks were in place. Even though they were, through the silence that now permeated the command centre, they could hear the sound of the enemy infantry just beyond the reinforced thick metal as they no doubt planned to blast it open.

Leila bit her lip, thinking for a moment before addressing Kate again. "Put me on speaker." The quivering girl barely managed a nod as she turned on the audio system, which Leila then took command of through her own podium, speaking into the inbuilt microphone. "Attention Britannian soldiers, this is the commander of Castle _Lupobianco._ Your intrusion into this facility has gone far enough, leave this place at once or my people will be ordered to open fire on you."

There was nothing but silence on the other end, and Leila held her breath. And then the moment passed.

A muffled explosion on the other side of the door was the only warning they got before the large steel slab was slammed open, followed by dust. Leila turned around to face the door, Claus coming to stand at her side with his pistol at the ready. Sarah and Pierre immediately moved either side of the door, their weapons aimed at the large dust cloud. For a while though, no enemies appeared, there was no commencing of rifle fire or the heavy thud of military boots...or anything really.

Then there came the slow 'clink' of equally slow footsteps, followed by the silhouette of a small slim figure walking towards them through the dust. Claus raised his pistol just a little bit, his finger twitching on the trigger, but Leila waved for him to lower it just a little bit. If they were only sending one in then they could work with that, turn the Britannian arrogance against them and force their way out of this, but only if they didn't look like an immediate threat.

It seemed that arrogance was alive and well when a young woman who couldn't be older than herself stepped out of the dust cloud and stopped before her. Instead of military gear she was dressed in what looked like a cross between a pilot suit and a female version of formal opera wear. She had lime green hair that hung loose in no particular style, and piercing gold eyes that stared into Leila's own.

"O-ho..." Claus's casual tone didn't end the girl's staring at her, but it did alert Leila to the fact that he had raised his pistol again to aim it at her head, "and what smiling fortune brought this vision of loveliness to us?"

The green-haired girl finally broke her gaze with Leila, turning to look now at him and for a moment she wondered if there really was anything to be concerned of...and then she _moved._ In a flash of white and gold that suddenly had everyone recalling the unidentified individual from the second floor, the girl had rushed Claus, knocked his weapon out of his hand where it landed firmly in her own and was pressed now against his brow.

Shocked as she was, Leila still spotted Sarah and Pierre move to shoot the intruder but she quickly ordered them to stand down. They were too close together, if she let them fire Claus was dead either way. As it was the girl hadn't pulled the trigger of her newly acquired weapon, though Claus was wearing a face of extreme apprehension as he didn't dare shift his position.

Seeing his uncomfortable state, the girl said in a monotone voice "Relax, I'm not here to kill you little man." So saying, she removed the pistol from his head and took a single step back. "No one else here has to die today. All I want here..." she turned back around, her gold eyes once more fixing on Leila, "is you."

 _Me?_ She blinked, on a strategic level it made sense - capture the commander, end the battle - yet from the stare being sent her way she had a dark feeling that this girl's aims went further than that. It was Sophie though, her husband standing just head of her, that asked everyone's question. "What does Britannia want with the Lieutenant Colonel?"

Her question however was met with a derisive snort from the girl, her visage twisting for the briefest moment into a sneer before flattening out again into impassiveness. "Britannia wants Leila Malcal to surrender her castle and herself to Lelouch. That is not what I want."

Dread suddenly filled Leila's breast as a possible end to this conversation crystallised itself in her mind and she fought the command in her mind to run. But where would she go? Now she understood why this girl - this assassin - had come in alone: the way out was still shut, there was nowhere to run. Still, she wouldn't let herself succumb to fear and so swallowed those feelings down to ask a question. "And...what is it that _you_ want...Miss...?"

"Call me whatever you want." The girl replied with a minuscule shrug. "As for what I want..."

The click of her acquired pistol echoed through the silent command centre as if it were a cave. It was the only warning they got before she span around and whipped Claus hard in the face, sending him falling to the ground, before coming back around and shooting at Sarah and Pierre before they could react. Her speed was such that the two didn't know they'd lost their hold on their rifles until the girl had returned her attention to Leila, the muzzle of the pistol now aimed directly between her eyes.

"What I want is you," the girl continued, calm as ever yet now with a tiny smile gracing her lips "...dead."

Her finger pulled the trigger, and everything slowed down. Leila heard the shot, saw the muzzle flash, and instinctively flinched...and yet there was no pain. She then saw that the shot had gone wide on account of a tablet having been thrown at the girl, hitting her arm and sending the bullet flying into the wall behind her. The girl was caught off balance, and with that Leila seized her chance.

Rushing forward, she grabbing the girl's outstretched arm and twisted it to the point that she was forced to let the pistol go. She then moved to twist the arm around further, intent on forcing her onto the ground where she could pin her, but the girl anticipated the move and launched an elbow into her face, the shock of which alone breaking Leila's hold on her, followed up by a palm strike directly to her chest. As Leila's twist had brought them both around to the point they'd traded locations, she was forced onto her podium, the hard and sharp corners digging into her back. The girl advanced on her, but Leila used her position to her advantage and pushed herself up off the ground, delivering a double push kick that now forced her back.

Military training kicked in and Leila moved forward with strikes and punches, all of which the girl blocked but that didn't matter because every strike she attempted forced her further back. Just a little more...and then Sarah and Pierre came forward from either side to grab the girl's arms. With her distracted it should now be an easy job for the girls to incapacitate her.

Not so however as, when they made to grab her, the girl suddenly changed tactics. As Leila launched another final blow, instead of blocking it she took hold of the advancing wrist and twisted it in a rotating wristlock. Her whole body seizing up, Leila was about to instinctively turn into the lock before the girl, like water, flowed around her without letting go of the wrist and sent her sailing into Pierre before dropping down and sweeping Sarah off of her feet with a low roundhouse kick.

That wasn't the end of it though as Leila quickly got back up, arms coming back up in defence as the girl, true to her word, immediately abandoned Sarah and turned back to her. Still smirking she launched another assault, a flurry of strikes and kicks that Leila just managed deflect and dodge, but her opponent was so fast that she was unable to mounter a counter-attack, until she almost tripped over Pierre who was doing her best to stay out of the way of them both. At last though, an opening came when the girl made a sharp knife chop to Leila's neck. Acting quickly, she grabbed the offending arm at the wrist and then punched forward at the girl's stomach.

However, the girl managed to catch her fist before it made contact and for a moment the two were locked together, staring each other in the eye - one determined, the other barely moved - before the smirking assassin hummed to herself then spoke. "So the little girl can fight now, can she?"

The familiarity with which she spoke caught Leila off guard; what did she mean by 'now?' Had they met somewhere before? The outfit rang a bell but she couldn't remember where, though that couldn't possibly be related to anything. However, her hesitance would prove almost fatal as the girl took the open opportunity and kneed her in the gut, hard. The air forced out of her lungs, Leila went down to her knees whilst the girl stepped back. "It's nice to see you've grown up." She admitted to her quietly, "But you're not nearly ready for this stage."

"Doesn't matter if there's a gun at your head." A firm voice suddenly threatened behind her. Both looked up, the girl turning around, to see Claus standing behind her, his stolen pistol back in his hands and now aimed at her head. A trickle of blood from his head wound ran down the side of his face, but it didn't impede his aim or his stern glare that spoke of just how serious he was. "I'd rather not have to shoot a woman, so just surrender."

The girl, in response, merely cocked her head and Leila could just imagine the sly smirk on her face as she rhetorically asked "Is that so?" In a tone that clearly promised trouble no matter what they did, and then clapped her hands twice in quick succession.

Her clap had to be a pre-set command as a moment later, the infantry soldiers that Leila admitted to herself she'd forgotten about in the face of this deadly girl streamed into the command centre, assault rifles aimed at the staff. They numbered twice as many as the officers in the room, some of which were already incapacitated as it was. "You let yourselves get careless," the girl chided them all, "focussing on one life when there were others you could have saved."

The words were followed with her turning to her soldiers, the order to execute them all doubtless on her lips, and Leila's head dropped to her chest. It was her nightmare all over again, her friends were about to be killed right in front of her and this time there wasn't going to be any magical intervention that would help her save them. She had failed!

At the very least though she could look them in the eye when they killed her, and so slowly she lifted her head back up off her chest. In doing so, she caught sight of a small cylindrical object rolling along across the floor to rest just between her and the girl. A moment later her eyes widened as she realised what it was and she immediately shut them, calling out to the others, "Flash grenade!"

She didn't dare look around to see if the others had shielded their eyes, though she did hear a curious 'hmm?' from the girl before the grenade went off, blinding those soldiers who hadn't covered up their assault visors. Confused shouting filled the room and Leila hugged the ground, still not risking her sight by opening her eyes, and a moment later there was a series of single rapport shots, typical of a handgun, that silenced the Britannian voices.

A loud 'thump!' beside her finally pushed Leila to the edge of her patience and she opened her eyes, only to almost shut them again at her first sight. The strange girl who'd had her at her mercy now lay flat on the floor, a look of undisguised surprise clear on her wide open eyes, as blood trickled out of a newly added hole in her head. Further along, she saw that there was still one person standing who hadn't been here before, dressed in black, the last person she expected to see here of all places.

"Well, are you going to lie there all day?" Miss X asked playfully, returning her gun to its holster and looking around the CIC. "Honestly, don't you people believe in security? This is possibly the most important room in the entire complex!"

 _I'll make a note of that if we survive this._ Leila thought to herself wryly as she picked herself up from the floor and straightened out her uniform. A quick scan around revealed that the others were recovering from the flash grenade as well, Claus jumping immediately to the point and asking "How did you know that we needed help?"

"You can thank your commander for that." X told them, smiling approvingly at her before sauntering around the centre, "There I was, lazing around in that big empty meeting room, when suddenly the voice of our lovely Leila here comes out over the speakers saying that the Brit boys are knocking on her door." Shrugging carelessly, she leaned on the rail of the stairs down to the pit, grinning at the rest of the command staff. "I was bored, so I figured 'eh, why not?'"

The staff looked at each other, then at either Leila or X in alternating expressions of stupor and amazement. As for the young CO, she just blushed a little at the praising looks. Yes, she'd sent the warning out to the Britannians over the widespread speaker array rather than the private line that held just to the top levels in hopes that someone would realise what had happened but she hadn't actually held out hope anyone would arrive before they were captured. And that Miss X of all people was the one to respond was equally surprising.

Nevertheless, her gamble had paid off, better than expected and so she simply cleared her throat and addressed them all. "Yes, well anyway, is everyone all right?" When she got affirmative responses from everyone she nodded self consciously and turned to Anna - whom she sent another wave of gratefulness for giving her a chance to defend herself - and set about getting back on track. "What's the situation outside?"

Anna, still slightly shaking, turned back to her post and got the latest data from the field. When she received it, the shaking increased exponentially and she turned back to Leila with renewed fear. "We've lost the launcher."

* * *

"Dammit!" Ashley's voice came over the private channel on Akito's radio as they again evaded another attack from the giant orange machine. His cursing, however, wasn't a result of the difficult fight they'd been engaged in for quite some time now; even though Captain Hammel had been ordered to disengage, leaving Asura and Wyvern to deal with the Royal Guard alone, they'd still been able to hold their own against Gottwald. What Ashley was yelling about had to do with the large plume of smoke directly to the east.

Somewhere in the last five minutes communications from the castle had gone dark, leading many to assume the worst had happened to Leila and the command staff. Shortly after, the Britannians had broken the Alexander lines and forced their way past the second line of defence. Akito and Ashley's teams had both tried to help push them back but every time they tried, Jeremiah Gottwald and the two Scarlet Guard Knightmares had cut them off, forcing them away from the main battle.

With W-0's lines broken, it had been more than easy for a team of Vincent Wards to fly ahead and destroy the stratospheric launcher without any significant resistance save for the Alexanders guarding it. Now though those same units were retreating as fast as they could to more secure ground, their mission to defend the key resource of Castle _Lupobianco_ a complete failure.

Akito though didn't have time to lament their failure as the source of their own frustration made another attack on them, launching its giant lance harkens at him and Ashley again, forcing the two to move further away from the wall they'd been stuck on ever since they engaged him.

"I must admit," the emperor's Guard Captain declared from above them, his machine's large weapons returning to their docks as it held its position above the _Liberte_ and Red Ogre "the two of you are exceptional warriors. Worthy of recognition, were one of you not a traitor and the other a fool. However," and now the large machine's belly mounted cannon began to charge up again, "skill alone is nothing in the face of my loyalty!"

The cannon fired and the two of them swerved to the side, after which Ashley launched forward with a furious yell, the Red Ogre jumping forward with its sword drawn. However the action was a futile one as the machine's damned shield came alive just as the blade struck home. Frustration mounting, Akito opened fire with the _Liberte's_ rifle but, much like the sword, the rounds just couldn't penetrate Gottwald's defences.

 _Dammit! If we could call the others over we might have a shot._ The problem of course was that they couldn't, not with those two scarlet red Knightmares occupying the rest of both teams. With Yukiya out of commission, all that was left of Wyvern to take on the Guard were Ayano and Ryo so Rene and Kuzan had split off to help them out with one machine whilst the rest fought the other one. Yet, even with a four-to-one ratio in their favour, the Britannians were still winning, at times fighting them at close range before switching, faster than they could follow, to their VARIS rifles which forced all eight of them back to find cover.

"We're getting nowhere fast!" Ayano called out over their channel. "We need a plan or we're not gonna survive this one, Akito!"

"Dammit!" Ryo cursed loudly as he pulled his Alexander away from another incoming burst from his enemy's VARIS. "If we had Yukiya this would be so much easier!"

Somehow Akito doubted that, but he had to concede that Ayano was right: they'd been at this now for some time and, while he didn't know about the others, the _Liberte's_ power readings suggested he had about thirty minutes left before it was out of energy. If they kept this up, they were going to end up captured or dead. They needed a plan and they needed it now.

Their salvation couldn't have been better timed then when the _Liberte's_ radio was suddenly filled with what could only be called the sweetest surprise of the day. "Attention all forces!" Leila's voice called out, momentarily stunning everyone before the shock was replaced with relief and joy: their commander was still alive! However, their jubilation would turn to disbelief after her following orders. "Disengage and retreat! We are abandoning Castle _Lupobianco!_ "

"Lieutenant Colonel!" Franz protested, his Gloucester going on the offensive against his scarlet machine. "What about the defences? We can still fight!"

"The stratospheric launcher has been destroyed." She replied grimly and forcefully, the reminder of their primary defensive objective's failure landing heavily on Akito's shoulders and no doubt on the others' as well. With their silence, Leila continued. "With its loss this base is just another building, and as such I see no such reason to continue this losing battle. Escape through the west tunnel! The drone units will cover you. I repeat, to all W-0 Unit forces, we are leaving the base! You have ten minutes!"

Ten minutes? Akito wanted to ask her the significance of such a time limit, but the sudden looming shadow from above of a Britannian airship made him think otherwise and so he repeated his commander's orders. "You heard her! Retreat! To the west tunnel!"

He heard an audible snarl of agitation from Ashley but he soon saw the Red Ogre pulling away. Smiling grimly at his fellow team leader's decision, Akito brought the _Liberte's_ rifle up to bear and started firing on Gottwald's giant orange machine. Even as he did so, dozens of new enemy Knightmares began to descend from the overhead airship and so after only firing a handful of shots, he put the _Liberte's_ landspinners in reverse and moved to get out of dodge, the rest of Wyvern and Asura Team already ahead of him.

He was mildly aware of Gottwald's voice echoing throughout his cockpit's radio but he put it out of his mind. Right now his only goal was survival, a possibility that appeared to be growing every second as he spotted the orange drone Alexanders rushing towards him, parting like the waves to let him through before engaging the new enemy contacts.

Despite them being nothing more than lifeless hulls, Akito still through up a small salute to the machines as Jeremiah Gottwald descended upon them, blasting them away by the dozens with his cannon. Their destruction bought him and his friends time to escape, and for that they had his thanks.

* * *

 _Well..._ C.C. thought to herself irritably as she pulled herself back to her feet, still a little bit groggy from the blood loss, _that was not in the plan._

Of all the possible ways for this assassination to have gone wrong, this was not one that she had predicted. If it had been the girl who had shot her that would have been all right, even the stubbly idiot would have been acceptable because they were all people she had been expecting to resist her. But for someone outside the command centre to get the drop on her? It was almost embarrassing.

Now the girl was gone along with her little friends, and all C.C. had to show for it was a hole in her head as well as three or four in her chest that the girl's friends had put in her on their way out. Talk about paranoid. _And I just got this damn suit fixed too!_ Now Lelouch was sure to complain as he was wont to when things went even a little bit wrong. Sighing at her lot in life, C.C. stretched her stiff joints before thinking about how best to pacify her sure to be irate Warlock upon her return before a small beeping caught her attention.

Curious she turned around to look at the main screen where a timer was counting down. It only took a moment for her to realise what sort of timer it could possibly be and for a moment she ran through what was the quickest and least inconvenient way out of the coming explosion, but then she actually noticed how much time was left.

00:00:10

"Seriously?"

Oh that girl was officially dead. Geass-destroying Geass or no, that naive little slip of a soldier was going to pay for this. Death by collapsing building was in her top fifteen worst ways to die. Fuming, C.C. grabbed hold of the railing of the girl's podium and waited.

One second later, Castle _Lupobianco_ exploded.

* * *

In one of the underground tunnels beneath the castle, the survivors of W-0 had stored their Alexanders on transport trucks and were now driving as fast as they could for the exit before the secondary self-destruct system kicked in and destroyed the passage.

Ashley's team, along with Ryo, were laughing in undisguised glee at this final 'fuck you' to Britannia, whilst Ayano busied herself with tending to Yukiya who Sophie had helped down to the tunnels even before Leila gave the evacuation order. As for Akito, he sat silently beside Leila, an exhausted but relieved smile on his face at the sight of everyone still alive and whole.

Nevertheless the fact that destroying their base had just made them all homeless, inevitably someone would have to ask the question. It just so happened this time that it was Anna. "Where do we go now?"

At a loss, Leila only shook her head before turning to Miss X. The woman in question simply smiled before patting their driver Claus on the shoulder. "We're going to Rome, handsome man. But don't stop there, our final destination is in Prague."

"Prague?" Leila repeated, curious. "What's there?"

The older woman just gave her a flirtatious wink. "Many things, pretty girl. Many amazing, wonderful things."


	10. We're stuck

Hello, "His Britannia" readers! Well, many of you think where is update...well, we are stuck at the starting point. I didn't receive a message from beta-reader Tahkaullus01 for three weeks and can't contact him so there big problems with writing this chapter. I myself did not have time to write something normal and in, the end we have an only little plot with some story...I feel terrible because of it but, problem is that we can not finish next chapter. Tahkaullus01 is missing and my computer is broken...because of rebuilding in my house. So I wrote next chapter little plot on my phone...and yeah, this is masochism. So sorry, I told to some of you that next update will be soon but, it seems like it will take a lot of time...Sorry one more time but, it's the only question of time. So please wait for it.

...

But wait! I have an idea! It of course not next chapter and some of you might find this useless but, at least you will have an idea what will happen in next chapter.

Chapter Title: "Modern gladiators"

Location: Rome, Coliseum, Berlin.

Chapter Characters: C.C, Jeremiah, Lelouch, Leila, W-0, Rai, Alice, Oz, Dian, Miss X.

...

Yeah, it's not so important however some of you might find this idea interesting. Please leave comments with your ideas about something like this.

Sorry it's not updated and I hope that next thing that I will update would be a new chapter!


	11. Modern Gladiators

**We're back!**

 **June** **11** , **2018, Rome**

It took three days of non-stop driving to reach Rome, at which point the surviving members of W-0 Unit were running on mere fumes. As such they were more than glad to be greeted by the reassuring appearance of the EU flag on the horizon as the third sunset, followed an hour later by the helping hands of fellow soldiers and mechanics who helped them to unload their machines from the trucks. For the first time in days, many finally allowed themselves to breathe easily in the safety of Italy's capital.

For Leila, however, any thoughts of relaxation were far from her mind as she watched the European soldiers help her people from a distance. From where she stood the fact that they needed so much help from their allies just hammered home how catastrophic the battle at _Lupobianco_ had been for them. Of the near battalion level of numbers that W-0 had been expanded into, less than half of that new composition had survived, many of their pilots were dead meaning the Alexanders, while plentiful, were now little more than fancy poseable statues. Those that they had saved weren't much better off, many technicians were either dead or badly injured so maintenance wouldn't be up to par, so really their numbers were closer to quarter strength than half.

 _Even if their main goal was to kill me,_ Leila thought to herself with a grimace, _the fact remains that our unit was completely crippled._

How many more times was she going to have to see this? How many friends was she going to lose before it was all over? At one time she thought she'd known the answers to these questions, when Shinn Hyuga Shaing had been defeated and she and her people had left the EU. Now though, called back into service to a war that threatened to be their end, all Leila could think about was how many more castles filled with corpses she'd be forced to abandon until she was cornered.

These ruminations were put on hold though as two young men - both curiously not in uniform - approached her. Though informally dressed there was still an aura of power about them, namely the younger of the two, that her military instincts were insisting she give attention to.

Once the pair were before them the older of the two made the point of introductions. "So you're Leila Malcal, huh? Funny, the screen makes you look taller." When she didn't respond to his statement he just shrugged before carrying on. "I'm Zi Dian and this grumpy kid here," he gestured to the blond at his side, "is Oz. We heard your base came under attack, the one with the stratospheric launcher?"

Glancing at him blankly she nodded shortly before confirming allowed, "Yes, that's correct. We were hit by the Emperor's imperial guard, their captain included, and had to evacuate. Unfortunately the Launcher was lost in the battle before we could-"

"You lost it?!" The boy, Oz, suddenly blurted out, shocking her with the glare he was suddenly sending her way, as if she'd committed some great crime against him. "Do you have any idea what that means?! Now we can't-!"

"Ozzy!" His angry tirade was cut short as Miss X suddenly appeared as if from nowhere and wrapped him in a tight embrace, squeezing his head into he breasts. "I knew I recognised that lovely voice! Oh I missed you sooo much!"

Such a blatant display of affection had Leila's eyes widening. She'd known X was a bit unusual, her flirtatious manner of speaking with virtually every male on the face of the Earth something she'd realised she'd have to accept if they were to continue working together, but such a public display left her a bit flummoxed. A couple of snickers and grumbles behind her told her that her men had started listening in on their conversation and glancing round she caught the eyes of several of her more...laid back troops, Ashley and Ryo amongst them. Her attention wasn't missed, nor was the short glare she sent their ways, after which the boys immediately got back to work.

As for the current show, Oz put it too an end by forcibly prying the older woman off of him. "Get off of me, for god's sake woman! Why couldn't you have stayed in France?!" He groused furiously, though not nearly enough to hide the blush on his cheeks as he straightened his clothes out before returning his focus to Leila. "How in all the hells conceived by man did you manage to work with this woman?!"

"Aww Ozzy!" X whimpered, a pout taking over her features, before trying to grab him again which he deftly dodged as if he'd been practising it for some time...something Leila didn't find difficult to believe with the way the buxom woman behaved. The woman in question however just put on a more miserable air. "Why are you so mean to me, my sweet Oz?"

"I'm not your sweet anything!" The boy snapped at her.

Taking pity on him, Leila decided she should at least try for some amiability and so told them of how Miss X had brought them information on the Emperor and beyond, giving them a better understanding of their enemy and also of the changing landscape of the war. "In fact I owe my life to her," she rounded off, remembering what happened at the control centre. "An assassin was sent for me, getting all the way through our defences and even had me at her mercy. If Miss X hadn't come when she did, I wouldn't be alive right now."

"Oh, Leila," X crooned at the praise she was receiving, "you sweet thing. How are you a soldier?"

Dian as well seemed rather impressed with the woman, giving her a small nod of acknowledgement. Oz however was a different matter, though he wasn't scowling anymore, his expression was still one of dissatisfaction. "And yet even through all this, you still failed to maintain the stratospheric launcher?" He demanded of her, "Are you really as good as the propaganda says you are?"

His blunt statement of his view of her caused Leila to flinch, voicing more than a few of her own self-deprecating thoughts over the last three days, however she refused to let herself be further ruffled by an outsider. She was about to retort about his own lacking in mentioned aid when Dian stood between them, easy smile still in place. "Whoa, there, easy now, Oz. No need to get worked up over nothing here."

 _It hardly seems like nothing._ Leila thought to herself, going by her assessment of Oz it seemed he was more upset over the loss of the launcher than the top brass were sure to be. That was one conversation she most certainly wasn't looking forward to. And even Dian, the seemingly nicer of the two, was soon to voice his own misgivings about that as soon as he was sure his young partner wasn't going to blow up any further. "He does bring up a point though, with the launcher destroyed, our side can't deploy behind their lines. We'll be forced to fight them head-on only until a new one is built and that could take months."

"Closer to a year." She corrected him bleakly, arms folded and finding herself less impressed with the duo by the second. She'd thought the elder would have more to say than just stating the painfully obvious. "I'm well aware of the losses, both strategic and financial, but it was either that or sacrifice my entire unit in a pointless holding action."

With that she turned her back on the pair, not even bothering to hear the two's response. The younger's tightened breath of barely suppressed rage was enough for her, and quite frankly she didn't have time to be nice to them. "Now if you'll excuse me, what's left of my people need rest and I need to speak to command. If you have any further insults to throw my way, please get on with it."

As far as she was concerned that was the end of the conversation as she immediately got back to work, taking stock of all they had left and what needed replenishing. Thus she was relieved when Miss X spoke up in her sweet persona. "Come on, Ozzy. No need to aggravate the poor lady. Let's go get ice cream, that always makes people better."

"Get off me!" The boy's dwindling snarl told Leila everything she needed to know that the pair of them were finally leaving. And though she felt some pity for him (X had proved herself quite irresistible, for good and ill purposes), she couldn't help thinking that those two, and whoever worked with them, were going to be trouble later on.

 _Getting paranoid again._ She chided herself as Anna and her girls came running over with their own statistics, _We're in friendly territory again, they wouldn't try something so brash here of all places with the whole command staff watching them._

* * *

 _If she's got an in with command, maybe there is some use for her after all._ Oz thought to himself after he finally managed to shake X off with the luring powers of a five decker sundae with cream (where the hell did she put it all?!). It was about the only thing that could possibly be salvaged now that that idiot girl had gone and ruined his plans by letting Britannia destroy the launcher. _How did someone so incompetent get the right to an entire regiment?_

Nevertheless if she really could speak with high command then he could hold off on getting rid of her for now. As such he made his way back to the barracks where his two secret weapons were waiting for him. He found them in the cargo area where more of W-0 Unit were unloading and reloading supplies, though it seemed only Rai was truly interested in their work...and not for the purposes of espionage as he followed the boy's eyes to a tall blonde in a lab coat. As for Alice, she was perched on top of a nearby Panzer, her attention held by the book she was reading.

If there were any misgivings about her awareness of her surroundings, they were quickly lost when Rai let out a low whistle in regards to the blonde W-0 woman. "Damn, rumours don't lie: W-0 gets all the finest stuff." His crass comment resulted in Alice tossing her book at him which landed quite satisfyingly on his head.

Ignoring her teammate's complaining moans about her inability to take a joke, she turned her attention to Oz. "They're not staying long."

"I gathered that." He replied, noting the bustle of the people around them. So much work restocking supplies they'd run low on or had lost in their pitiable defence of _Lupobianco_ might have fooled the usual rank-and-file as to what they were up to, but Oz was no fool. If W-0 were sticking around they would have unloaded the Alexanders at least, but instead they were still on the trucks they'd arrived in. This told him they intended to leave as soon as they could, which left only one question to be answered: Where were they going?

 _More importantly, why would the EU command trust a girl who continually blunders her missions?_ There was something going on here and Oz was tired of being kept in the dark. Fortunately for him though, all this tied in with why he had sought the two of them out.

"So." Alice carried on over his interior monologue, "What's the plan with them?"

Oz replied with a smirk, "We're going to make them our puppets." Turning to the one whom he really needed for this, he told Rai. "Tomorrow morning, Leila Malcal is meeting with the military command staff."

He needn't have said anymore as the silver haired boy quickly caught on with a nod and a small smile. "So I'll conveniently meet up with her just before she goes and 'ask' her if we could tag along."

His expression not lessening for a moment, Oz simply nodded. This was their chance, when Rai took control of the Malcal girl she would lead them all into the heart of the EU's war machine. From there Peace Mark could finally do its job right again, directing the forces of justice against that mad man who thought himself a god. He would stop Britannia once and for all and Lelouch vi Britannia would rue the day he dared call himself the voice of justice.

* * *

 **Corsica**

Throughout the long centuries that she had lived, C.C. had become dead to emotion. Such annoyances, she had long ago concluded, only got in the way of rational thought and procedure and so she had willingly let go of any sentiments and desires save for her wish to die, transforming her into the woman she had been for so long. Yet now she found herself feeling again, not just the odd spark of intrigue or amusement or the more common pity but warmth and contentment...and jealousy as of late. She knew who to blame for these changes of course, however that blasted boy had just been proved not to be as unique in this ability to break her mask as she had believed.

It had taken half a day to dig her out of the ruins of the EU's castle and another half to move the fleet to Corsica per Lelouch's instructions once they informed him of their failure to eliminate the girl. He had been...less than pleased with their report, though all he did was simply remind her that this was her problem to deal with and left it at that.

Reflecting on that in the privacy of her quarters on her ship, C.C. had to admit it was somewhat unnerving to see the usually passionate young man act so cold. Aggravating him and on the odd occasion angering him were things she knew how to deal with, but disappointing him? That was uncharted territory.

 _Although,_ she considered to herself as she took a bite out of her third pizza of the hour, _if he heard that he'd just brag it was proof that he got me to care about something. Ha! As if I'll ever let him know._

It wasn't the confusion of her inability to deal with something, though, that had her locked up in her room. No, what had her on edge was where they were going next. Determining where W-0 Unit had retreated to hadn't been difficult, everywhere north was hostile to them whilst travelling east would have taken too long thus making Rome the obvious destination. Sure enough their agents confirmed this two days later when an exhausted convoy arrived in Rome, led by a blonde female commander. And that served to enrage the immortal witch.

Of all the cities in Italy that bitch had just had to go to her beloved _Roma._ It wasn't that C.C. wouldn't pursue her there, far from it; she'd had plans on taking the city with Lelouch in the works ever since he told her his plans for the world. Rather it was the fact that her hand had been forced to take it, and by extension Italy, in such a brutal way. Even now Jeremiah was running back and forth, ensuring that their new weapons of destruction were ready for deployment in such a way as to crush the military strongholds in Rome. To do that meant likely having to destroy some of her most cherished landmarks and that was simply unforgivable.

She didn't blame Jeremiah though, he was simply doing as his emperor commanded and nothing more, he had no desire to see these buildings reduced to rubble. The EU on the other hand...if they thought they could simply hide behind such works of art and that she wouldn't tear them apart to get at them they were dead wrong...she'd just be less merciful about it once she got her hands on them.

And that girl...whatever fleeting notion of showing her mercy had evaporated from C.C.'s mind. She was the one who brought them here, she was the one hiding in her dearest city, she was the one forcing them to do this. _And for that,_ she promised herself as she finished off her current pizza slice, _I'll show her all nine circles of Hell before delivering her to the Devil in person._

Visions of Leila Breisgau boiling in a sea of blood were cut short though by the insistent ringing of her phone that Lelouch had threatened on pain of no pizza (or the other thing) to always keep on her. Such extreme threats might have compelled her to take her leave of him, had he not been so...convincing about it. Still she was more than a little bit annoyed to have her daydreams interrupted so when she answered it was with a short, bored "What?"

"Lady C.C.," Jeremiah's voice on the other end replied, "preparations for the fleet are almost complete. If we keep up our pace we'll be ready to begin the assault come the dawn."

Now wasn't that something? Her ire evaporated at the good news, replaced with a predatory smirk. "Good. And the Morrigan?"

"Assembled and awaiting you in the hangar, my Lady."

"And Lloyd's new toys?"

"The Gefjun rockets." Jeremiah clarified for her, unable to see the eye-roll his response triggered from her, before continuing, "They have been fitted and are ready for deployment."

Perfect, there would be no running for her this time. And if by some miracle the girl got to a machine that hadn't been affected then C.C. would cut her up in person. "She dies, Jeremiah, right here and now. I don't care if Lelouch likes her...no," she quickly corrected herself, her scowl returning, "that's a reason why she has to die. I will not have a pizza-killing harlot share my bed!"

* * *

 **June 12, Rome**

 **EU Military Officer's Quarters**

Leila was up before first light making preparations to leave. If she was honest with herself she was glad to be leaving Rome behind, it was too big a city with too many non-combatants living in it for her to feel at all comfortable with engaging Britannia here. Whilst she would like to believe that Emperor Lelouch would hold true to his word of not harming those who couldn't fight she was far from willing to put his word to the test. One attempt had already been made on her life and an entire castle had been destroyed. If she was being hunted, she wasn't going to give Britannia a reason to level Rome.

It was a sentiment the rest of W-0 shared and as such they were also getting ready to leave as soon as possible. Currently Akito was working with the pilots and technicians to get the Alexanders loaded back up whilst everyone else did their bit elsewhere, leaving her and Anna to clear out her things from her room. She was aware that she'd gotten more than an odd or spiteful glance from soldiers from different regiments, thinking her actions cowardly when Britannia was practically on their doorstep anyway but she couldn't help it, if they wanted to have a city left by the end of it they would let her go.

"Everything will be fine, Leila." Anna was telling her as they placed the last of their documents into a case and locked it tight, "You'll see, we'll be away from here soon and on our way to Prague. No one else will be hurt."

 _I wish I could agree with you._ Leila admitted wordlessly to her childhood friend, her worried expression saying enough for her as she moved on to the next task.

They continued to work in silence for another few minutes when suddenly outside there was a loud racket. Leila immediately went tense, only her head moving to look up as she expected the wall in front of her to suddenly blow out in front of her. "What was that?"

Anna however was much calmer about the situation and she rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "Keep working on this, I'll go have a look. Ryo probably got too rowdy with the equipment."

That would be nice if it was the truth but Leila was still on edge, and Anna leaving to check it out didn't make anything better. She was alone now with her imagination and it was conjuring up any number of possible reasons for that clamor: Sabotage, subterfuge, suppression of armed forces...lots of words beginning with 'S' that described Britannia's many ways of getting the upper hand in a battle before it even started.

 _Get a hold of yourself girl!_ Her rational side chided her, _One massive battle and a close engagement with an assassin and you expect the worst everywhere! You've been closer to death than that!_ But that didn't stop the bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, that ominous foreboding that warned her to get out of here or face far worse than what they experienced at the castle.

Eventually that itch became too much to ignore and she slammed the equipment in her arms onto her desk before dashing for the door. However that was as far as she got before someone blocked her way. A young man with silvery gray hair wearing a smirk that sent warning shivers down her spine.

"So sorry, miss." He apologized lightly, though his expression didn't change a bit, "I was passing by and couldn't help asking, you wouldn't happen to be the famous Leila Malcal would you? The commander of W-0?"

 _Not now!_ This was hardly the time for another fan - or critic - to be getting in her way. "Yes, that's me." She said hurriedly, moving to step passed him and be on her way. "Sorry, but could we speak later? There's something really important I have to take care of."

However the boy immediately moved to intercept her exit, his gaze never leaving her face. "Oh but of course," he said amiably, "I don't wish to take up too much of your time. I was just hoping that you might take Peace Mark with you to your base of operations."

He said it flippantly enough, but the expectant look in his eyes betrayed that this wasn't a request. As for Leila, she was caught between surprised and incredulity that anyone would voice something so ludicrous in front of an officer. "I'm afraid that's impossible sir," she told him flatly, not missing the short burst of shock that covered his features which only heightened her misgivings about him, "the W-0 Unit is a highly restricted branch. Now if you'll excuse me..."

She moved to slipped passed the boy again, but again he blocked her path though his mildly surprised look hadn't left his face. However Leila was running out of what little patience she had and she snapped at him, "Move aside, soldier. Now."

"No, wait a minute," the boy was just as insistent as she was, "that's not right, you should take Peace Mark to your base!"

"And why would I do that?" She retorted, no longer hiding the glare that had been threatening to breech her professional mask. "What could a group of mercenaries possibly need to discuss with us?" The boy almost responded to that but quickly caught himself, proving her misgivings correct. However there were other things on her mind and Leila moved passed the boy to only be stopped again, this time forcefully when he grabbed her arm. "Let go of me right now!" She ordered him furiously, "Unless you want to take this up with command!"

But the boy hardly seemed to realise how bad this looked as he continued to stare at her with uncomprehending eyes. "But this doesn't make any sense!" He said aloud, though it seemed to be more to himself than at her. "You shouldn't be able to-"

His near treacherous statement died on his lips though as at that moment a heavy rumble shook the compound followed by the muffled roar of an explosion outside. Their attention was further pulled away from their own confrontation when, a moment later, all the lights in the building suddenly went dead, leaving them in near pitch darkness.

 _No, no, no!_ Flinging the boy's hand off of her, Leila shot out of the room and rushed down equally dark corridors that she'd memorised long ago and burst out of the barracks to a land on fire. To her horror she spotted numerous Britannian Knightmares swooping down upon the command center, launching shells into it from all angles. Leading them was a familiar face from _Lupobianco:_ the gigantic orange machine that had singlehandedly stood his ground against her best soldiers.

It didn't take a genius to work out what Jeremiah Gottwald was doing here, and so immediately Leila went to her phone intent on calling Anna and telling them to get the hell out of here. However things just kept getting worse as, when she retrieved the device that she usually kept on in sleep mode, she saw that it had turned off and no amount of trying to turn it on would do any good? _The battery's dead? That can't be, I charged it up through the night!_

The solution to why this was happening hit her a moment later as she recalled the sudden black out... "An electromagnetic pulse."

"Must be." A familiar voice agreed with her and she spun around to face the silver haired boy who had just joined her and was also looking up at the Britannian assault. "There's only Knightmares out here. They can't have cut the power and hit us at the same time."

Unnerved by his sudden switching in gears when before it was clear this boy and his group, Peace Mark, had wanted to use her as their puppet, Leila remained silent on his statement. He was unaffected by her silence though and just went on "We need to join up with our people. If we want to push them back we have to do it now."

 _'We?'_ Leila couldn't help thinking as she finally turned around, watching the boy leave in the direction of the barracks. _How very quick he is to assume we're on the same side._ If he was working with who she suspected he was working with then that just gave further credence to her bad feeling regarding the people she'd been introduced to. Still, her other bad feeling needed seeing to first and thus she put the distrustful notions aside and quickly headed towards the barracks herself. There were people there that she could trust and they needed her help more than her conspiracy theories right now.

* * *

"Of course the damn Brits have to hit us now!" Ashley muttered furiously as he hurriedly put on his pilot outfit, "They couldn't wait another day couldn't they? Just had to get us when our stuff was all packed up."

Beside him, Akito wondered if he should point out that that had probably been the Britannians' plan the whole time but eventually thought better of it. It would've just infuriated the former Euro-Britannian further and they were on edge enough as it was. Therefore he just silently finished putting on his own pilot suit and hurried out to the barracks where he prayed that the _Liberte_ was still working.

Being the two most advanced - and therefore difficult to manage - machines that W-0 had in its arsenal, he and Ashley had insisted that _Red Ogre_ and the Alexander _Liberte_ be kept in active service to provide cover once they departed (though Akito expected Ashley just wanted a crack at any Brit stupid enough to come their way) and thus the two were among the few machines that hadn't yet been packaged back up on the convoy. Of course it was possible that such a choice had just bitten them in the foot if this sudden black out was anything to go by: they still had emergency power, hence the red lighting everywhere, but that was hardly a guarantee that anything else worked, heck even his phone was dead so he could only hope that Leila hadn't been meeting with High Command when the Britannians destroyed it.

Therefore he could have kissed whatever God was being kind to him today when he raced into the hangar and saw his commander rushing towards him too. Straight to business she asked him, "Where are the others?"

"Setting up." He replied promptly, "Ashley and I were the first down here."

"Let's just hope it wasn't a waste of time getting changed." The aforementioned ginger spoke up, coming to lean on his shoulder with that same shit-eating grin of his. "That'd sure be a sucky way to die."

Leila's frown was enough to convey what she thought of his wording their situation like that, however she also nodded showing she agreed with his summation, which Akito couldn't deny he too felt was accurate. They'd already heard the reports that the Panzer-Hummels on guard duty had been destroyed without a fight due to the power blackout. Anna and the girls were all checking over the Alexanders, hoping that they at least would still work but it was a slim hope.

"I'd say the best thing to do would be to throw in the towel and run," Ashley admitted, before laughing at the affronted look on their commander's face at such a suggestion, "but you're obviously not gonna go for that. Ah well, guess we'll have to pick up a gun an- Franz!" He suddenly yelled at his friend, causing Akito to look over as well and notice the man in question loitering around in the hangar with a confounded look about him. Ashley however was not so mixed up as he shoved off of Akito and went over to his teammate and whacked him about the head. "What're you still doing here?! I told you to go kill some Brits five minutes ago!"

"Ashley my Gloucester died with all the others." Was Franz's response, even as he dodged his team leader's dogged attempts to keep hitting him. "What d'you want me to do? Stick it in a funny pose and then laugh at them when they shoot it?!"

"Then grab a gun and shoot back at them!" The passionate leader of Asura team snapped back, finally scoring another hit to his friend's head. "I don't care what you do, find yourself something to shoot, go make some funny remark at the Brits' expense and kill those sonsabitches!"

It would very likely come to that, Akito feared, if the news they received from their techies proved sour. Fighting Britannia with nothing but rifles and pistols would end in a bloodbath on their side...but considering things even the earlier option of retreating was probably out too. _Fight or die?_ He snorted to himself as another rumble outside reported the landing of another Britannian shell, _More like fight_ and _die._ Still, if that's what had to be done he would do it; if it gave Leila time to get away so be it. So long as she lived nothing else mattered.

Those gods that seemed to at both times love and hate him were soon to respond then, as Anna finally descended from the _Liberte_ and hurried over to where he and Leila were waiting. Grim faced, he almost expected her to give them the awful news that their machines were broken too, however her response was thankfully the opposite.

"They're good to go."

So simple a statement, but it had the power to silence even Ashley as the four present turned to stare at their chief engineer...though the main in question almost looked like he was going to go down on his knees in worship of her. Akito just allowed his silent pride in her to be his response, as he noted was the decision Leila went with.

"The BRS seems to have protected the primary systems," Anna explained, though she too seemed a bit amazed at her own words, "in any case the Alexanders should be good to go."

"Sweet!" Ashley crowed happily, "That means I can still fight!" And without further ado, he bounded away from the group and off towards _Red Ogre's_ berth.

"Hey!" The no-as-enthusiastic Franz called after him, "What about the rest of us? Our knightmares are still just giant museum decorations!"

"I already told you!" Ashley called over his shoulder, only bothering to wave his hand at his still inconvenienced teammate, "Find a gun, find a Brit, and introduce the gun to the Brit!"

"Oy..." The poor man introduced a palm to his face before sighing and nodding in resignation, "Well, might as well do something useful. You better get to work too, Akito." He added on, nodding at the boy and then hurrying off to do as his team leader had suggested.

That just left a pilot, an engineer, and their commander, all following their comrade's retreating forms with a look of bemusement before Anna shook it off and also rushed off to check on whatever else she could. Shaking himself out of his stupor as well, Akito was about to head off to the _Liberte_ when Leila reached out and grabbed his arm.

Suspecting he knew what she was about to say, he turned to tell her that he would be fine and would return when this was all over...no matter how little he believed in those words himself. However, when he opened his mouth to give voice to the lie, she cut him off with words he hadn't heard since his reunion with his brother over a year previous:

"I'm going with you."

* * *

It was barely ten minutes in since their initial attack and already the battle...no, C.C. quickly decided that such a word wasn't the correct term for how easily this was going for their side. 'Massacre' didn't really fit either because technically they hadn't really killed all that many people, the Gefjun Rockets had knocked out all machines below sixth generation, the Panzers being left completely untouched as the Britannian assault group pushed further in to Rome. They had been surprised to discover that the Alexanders weren't effected by the rockets but that issue was easily dealt with by bringing in the Vincents - the seventh generation machines' ability to fly giving them an advantage their European foes simply couldn't match.

 _One day they'll figure it out._ She thought to herself monotonously from within her own Knightmare's cockpit before shrugging and blandly accepting another bunch of EU soldiers' surrender. _But by the time that happens Lelouch will probably own them all anyway._

Speaking of whom, she could only assume the modifications made to her Morrigan were on his insistence. Her machine was an Akatsuki Command Model that had somehow conveniently found its way into Britannia's hands - Lloyd and Lelouch had both refused to tell either her or Cecile where it came from, they'd just grinned those dangerous grins of theirs and gone on their way - that had then been heavily tinkered with. For starters, the shoulder mounted machine gun turrets had been replaced with miniaturized Hadron Blasters and for additional combat options it had been fitted with double barreled guns on both arms as well as a Blaze Luminous based close range option fitted to its wrists.

These were all very nice, but then C.C. had to come to the downsides of her new toy: first off it wasn't pink - the Morrigan's original colour scheme had been pure black - something she had immediately rectified...though she had liked the red mono-eye camera lens so that had stayed. But what both amused and aggravated her was the machine's defensive system. Instead of the Radiant Wave Shielding, the Morrigan also carried an Absolute Defense Field that had been designed to work independently of the pilot.

 _It's sweet that Lelouch doesn't want me to get hurt,_ C.C. allowed as she maneuvered her machine out of the line of fire of a new group of Alexanders, something the Vincents quickly took care of. _But honestly, sometimes it's like he forgets none of this is necessary. Does 'immortal' translate differently in that boy's mind or something?_

Even as much as his clear overprotective actions annoyed her though, C.C. still couldn't help but chastise herself for getting worked up about it because she knew where all this concern was coming from. In a short amount of time Lelouch had lost many of the people he cared for in a number of different ways - first he lost his friend Shirley, initially to Mao and then Rolo, which followed shortly with her own amnesiac episode; all his friends in the Student Council at Ashford were beyond his contact and even if he did they were still under Charles' Geass; Suzaku was an obvious one, the best friend becoming a self-declared enemy to everything they were working for...and finally Nunnally. With that track record it was hard for C.C. to fault Lelouch for his insistence that she get the best defenses possible, so for now she would tolerate it.

 _Although if he goes any further, like locking me up in my room, with no pizza or Cheese-kun, we will have words._

She was cut from her thoughts by a sudden tug from her Code, forcing her to bring the Morrigan to a halt so she could concentrate. _That didn't take too long._ She noted, mildly surprised. Whilst she still had a connection to Leila the bond wasn't anywhere near as strong as the one she shared with Lelouch, she hadn't been expecting to sense anything until she was right on top of her. But then she felt her Code flare up again, except this time there was no accompanying sense to seek out the presence. _And that,_ C.C. thought to herself with a smirk, _can only mean one thing._

Without wasting another thought, she connected to Jeremiah who received her immediately. "My Lady, what news?"

"It would appear that our host has found some like-minded friends." She told him cryptically, though clear enough in its meaning that the Orange Knight would understand.

And understand he did as his face on the screen twisted into a rabid glare. "More meddlers who would interfere with His Majesty's grand design?!" He yelled furiously and ahead of her the Sutherland Sieg started to press forward just a little bit faster. "Where are they?! Tell me their location so I might remove them from this plain my Lady!"

Chuckling in dark amusement, C.C. closed her eyes for a moment to focus on the three entities her Code had detected. Almost immediately she was awash with her Warlock's contract, as strong as ever, which threatened to break her concentration and have her turning the Morrigan towards Berlin. However, the reminder of him also brought forth the memory of his disappointed face which set her mind straight on the task at hand. After a brief pause, the weak tug returned, along with the other three and she felt herself turning around to face them like a compass finding its true north.

Once she stopped and opened her eyes she couldn't help a second little laugh at where she was looking. "The Colosseum." She announced at last, "How fitting."

Jeremiah's reaction to the news was far less restrained, on the screen his eyes widened and he let out a mighty roar. "Excellent! An arena for warriors and servants of greatness! A perfect stage for me to prove my loyalty! Centurions, to me!" At his command the red machines formed up on the Sieg and followed it down as the huge Giga Fortress launched towards the ancient building.

C.C. followed him in a more leisurely pace, giggling at the pure zealotry of Lelouch's favourite knight. The smile left her face though as she linked up with him and the guard as they began their final descent into the Colosseum, their machines' factspheres and other visual systems displaying an image they hadn't been expecting to see yet so early into their campaign.

Though painted grey instead of the usual light blue, it was impossible not to recognise the hunchbacked design of the Akatsuki model, and down below stood two of such a model. Beside them was a regular blue machine that C.C. almost mistook to be the command variant, but on further inspection she realised it was the Akatsuki's predecessor, the Gekka, however that paled in comparison to the unexpected armament on its left arm - though it had only three claw like appendages rather than a full four fingers and thumb, the Radiant Wave Surger was still unmistakable. The final member of this little party was a machine she'd never seen before, although there were several features about it that had her drawing close comparisons to the Guren. Painted predominantly white with a light grey secondary shade, the only true differences to the Red Lotus was the the beetle-horn styled head ornament that sprouted up and outwards and the strange switchblade-looking armament on its right arm.

"Japanese Knightmares?" Jeremiah asked, his confusion likely mirroring those of their men as they approached, "What are they doing here? I thought the EU rejected all aid from the UFN."

"They did." C.C. confirmed needlessly, though she heavily doubted these people were from the Federation. This was where the Geass presence was strongest and considering Lelouch's less than amicable departure from them it was unlikely the Black Knights would turn to such methods just to defeat them. They hadn't gotten that desperate...yet. Shaking her head, she carried on. "It's immaterial. Leila Breisgau and those two others are here, I'm sure of it. Let's do what we came here to do and leave the rest to people who care about such things."

So saying, she took the lead and divebombed onto the four machines. Her sudden charge caught their attention and they immediately set up a barrage to bring her down. Interestingly, the Gekka didn't use its Radiant weaponry cluing her in to the fact that it was the older model that could only use its deadly left arm if it got a hold of her.

 _In that case..._ she smirked to herself as she activated the Morrigan's MSV option, nicknamed Blaze Claws, that now coated the machine's hands with red particles in the form of two large bladed claws. Weaving in and out of the incoming hellfire she pushed her Knightmare right into the thick of the enemy's ranks and slashed at the blue Gekka viciously.

On her side, one of the Akatsukis made to rush her but was forced back by a stream of incoming VARIS fire from above as the Centurions descended into the fray, engaging the two mass produced machines. The fourth machine now came at C.C. with its unusual armament flipping open in the form of a blade which it brought to bear, slashing forwards at her. She moved to intercept the blade with her machine's MSV coated hands, catching it much the same way as she'd caught Suzaku's sword back in Kamine Island.

Her distraction however opened an opportunity for the Gekka unit to attack at close range with its RWS and the pilot didn't pass it up, accelerating towards her at full throttle no doubt intending to grab her machine's head and roasting her alive. But C.C. was prepared for this; grabbing hold of the white machines blade with one hand, she turned the Morrigan around to block the Gekka's assault with the other hand. It came around in time to block the radiant attack and for a moment the three machines were stuck in a deadly frozen statue.

Then a wave of fire from above heralded the arrival of a squadron of Vincents, which the Gekka and the white unit used to break away from her and regroup with the two Akatsukis that weren't having much luck with the Centurions.

Above them all, the Sutherland Sieg hovered amongst the throng of Vincents, its cannon trained on the four irregular machines. "Your skills are impressive." Jeremiah stated over an open line, "Though I must wonder where you acquired four Japanese Knightmare frames."

For C.C.'s part she just rolled her eyes at this little standoff. There was no way the enemy would so easily give up their secrets and she was proven correct when the four machines' pilots remained silent. Apparently it was a sentiment Jeremiah shared as he let out a little sigh before continuing. "So be it then. Soldiers, destroy them all! All Hail Britannia!"

"All Hail Lelouch!" Every pilot responded before launching forward at the four machines.

* * *

It was as if fate itself had determined that it wouldn't allow Oz to have what he wanted lately: first he discovered that the Launcher had been destroyed thanks to Malcal's incompetence as a commander, then Rai came back to him telling him that his attempt to control said incompetent commander had failed and now Britannia had decided to attack, but not before knocking out over half their ground forces before doing so. Things only got worse when Dian dragged him out to the Colosseum to help the stragglers get away only to be intercepted by the cursed Imperial Guard of all things, as well as a pink knightmare (seriously? Pink?) with particle knives for fingers that forced him back with just a single hand. Rai had tried to help but he too had been forced back with minimal effort.

And then things got worse when a squadron of Vincents joined the fight, being led by the gigantic machine that had been reported seen at _Lupobianco_ and other regions of Europe. Only one man used that monstrosity and he further cursed his luck today. "Dian!" He called out to his partner, "That's Jeremiah Gottwald!"

"No shit!" The Asian man called back as they fended off the incoming enemy machines. "How 'bout we focus on the less obvious stuff Oz! Like that pink Akatsuki. What's it doing here?"

"They must have stolen one from the Black Knights." Rai theorised as he blasted a Vincent apart with his Gekka's left arm and then dodged a shot from one of the Centurions.

"What does it matter?!" Alice shot back, launching her machine's single slash hearken into another Vincent and moving on to target another one. "So long as it stays still it's as useless as a Glasgow!"

She had a point, since Gottwald had arrived and launched his assault on them, the pink machine had stayed absolutely still, the pilot seemingly content to let them all fight it out themselves. Such arrogance would only serve to get it killed as Alice broke off from the main group and launched her Akatsuki right at it, firing its slash hearken straight at the machine's cockpit.

However the attack would never meet its mark as just before the hearken collided with its intended target, the pink machine reached up and grabbed the cable with a single green claw, snapping it immediately. The thick bladed metal then careened harmlessly over the machine's head and embedded itself in the ancient rocks of the Colosseum with a sickening crunch.

That alone seemed to be enough to get a reaction out of the enemy pilot as she - as revealed by her voice - suddenly spoke up coldly. "That's enough of that." She told them all, her Akatsuki's hunched torso opening up to present its machine guns. "This is where the games end."

Without further warning the weapons opened fire, but instead of bullets being spewed out two deadly orbs of red energy that had become more and more common on the battle field of late shot out at them all. _Shit!_ Oz pulled the Byakuen away from the blast. Alice and Rai would also surely have been caught in the blast had it not been for the former's Geass, the Speed, which she now activated. Moving faster than the blink of an eye, she moved her Akatsuki out of the field of fire, grabbing Rai's Gekka as she did so and tossing it out the way as well. However, the Vincents behind them weren't so lucky, four of which were decimated by the unforgiving rays of Hadron-based weaponry.

"Damn." Rai panted over their private channel as he stood his machine back up, "That's no ordinary machine. It's been heavily customised."

"What was your first fucking clue?!" Alice snapped at him before turning back to face the pink Knightmare. "And what's with you? Those were your comrades!"

In response the pilot stated, without any sort of inflection, "It's hardly a loss." Oz could almost imagine her shrugging at those words, completely unmoved by her bout of friendly fire. "Not now that I know the power your Geass gave you."

Those words stopped Oz cold in his tracks as he processed exactly what she'd just said. _She knows about Geass?_ But that was impossible! The only ones who should have known about it were in the Directorate and all of them were dead! His frozen state almost cost him his life, but fortunately Dian, the only one who didn't know what was going on asked "What's geese got anything to do with this?"

The ignorant question of his partner snapped Oz out of his stupor and he was just about to snap the correction at him when a Vincent suddenly lunged at him with its lance. A moment later and it would have skewered him, but the timely question bought him enough time to see and react, parrying the strike before countering with the Byakuen's blade, cutting through the torso and cockpit both.

But the return of combat didn't stop his mind working and, even as two more enemy machines pressed in on him, Oz's ruminations were starting to turn more and more grim. And then a pit of true horror found its way into his system as the true implications of this girl, one of the Emperor's Guard, knowing about Geass.

Without a second thought, he shoved the two Vincents away from him before pulling back and away from the fighting, hurriedly calling out to his team, "Retreat! We have to get out of here!"

"What?!" Alice demanded, herself engaged in battle with the pink unit, "Oz, what are you talking about? We have th-!" She was cut off as the pink Akatsuki's clawed hands raked at her machine's left arm, getting under her guard and cleaving it off.

"Alice!" Rai's alarmed cry heralded his joining the fight, rushing in between the two machines and using his Gekka's Radiant Wave Surger as a shield as the MSV claws came down again. "Damn! She's too good. We have to get out of here!"

"But we can't!"

"We must!" Oz yelled at her, moving back and forth as the Vincents switched to their assault rifles and the Centurions raised their VARIS's. "Alice, this girl knows about Geass! How do you think she learned about it? Who told her?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" The blonde asked, her anger at the situation growing and clouding her judgement.

Not so for Rai as the realisation hit him like a ton of bricks, even as the pink machine's assault on his shield began to intensify. "Oh my god, he knows..."

"Exactly." Oz stated, "The only person she answers to is the Emperor...which means the Emperor knows about Geass too."

There was no response from Alice, other than her machine freezing in its tracks at his words. For a moment she just remained stationary as the enemy Akatsuki kept pushing against Rai's shield, gaining more ground by the second as their teammate began to give out. Oz could almost imagine the gears in her head turning as she weighed in what he was telling her and what she really wanted to do.

Any time she had for thinking however came to an end when Rai's Gekka finally succumbed and the pink machine pushed past the Radiant shield. With a muted curse, Alice's Geass activated again and she grabbed the Gekka before coming around and heading for the Byakuen, also grabbing its shoulder and making a break for it. And for a moment Oz believed them safe. Knowledge of Geass or no knowledge, now that the Speed had been activated there was no possible way the Britannians could catch them.

He would soon come to curse such optimistic thinking however, as when Alice came about to grab Dian and get him away from the battle, a cultivated voice that was certainly not one of their own suddenly echoed over his radio.

"I think not, meddlers." The rich and strong voice of Jeremiah Gottwald intoned. "You have interfered with our Emperor's work one too many times. No more."

The next thing he knew, their group had been bathed in a radiant blue light that filled the stadium and then to his terror Alice's Akatsuki's speed decreased back to normal. He didn't even have time to utter any form of shocked demands as to how that had happened as right afterwards, Gottwald's giant monstrosity of a machine fired its cannon on them sending them all flying into the dirt.

Shaken and rattled, his head bleeding, it took Oz a moment to get his bearings. When he did he saw that his Byakuen had landed on its back, the monitor showing the large orange machine of the Orange Knight bearing down on him, the Scarlet Guard on either side and the remaining Vincents hovering nearby.

"And now," Gottwald intoned, his cannon powering up for a second volley, "it ends."

The cannon fired once more, targeting Alice. She would have been done for had it not been for Rai once again coming to her aid, the Radiant Wave taking most of the hit. However, this cannon was far more powerful than the average VARIS shot or an MSV claw, resulting in the blast finally getting through and blowing off the Gekka's left arm.

"Rai!" Alice's distressed cry was met only with a pain filled grunt, betraying the further injuries their ally had suffered from the first cannon shot. That served to increase her frustration and anger at the situation as she brought her Akatsuki about as best she could and launched a volley of cannon fire at the giant machine. "You bastard!"

Her renewed attack did nothing though, the giant machine revealing its own Blaze Luminous shielding that barely shimmered from Alice's shots.

 _Shit, this is bad!_ Oz's brain was firing as many possible escape plans as it could think up, but every second saw things get worse for them as the Centurions renewed their assault on them, firing on them from above with their VARIS rifles. "Dian, cover us!"

His partner moved to carry out his orders but it was a delaying action at best. The Vincents, sensing their weakened state, also began to re-engage, starting with rifle fire whilst a few others moved in for close quarters. As Rai's Gekka was the wounded one of the four, the mass produced machines immediately favoured him for destruction. Such a thing was unacceptable to Oz, he still needed that boy and the power he held, he couldn't let Britannia have him now!

Desperately he launched the Byakuen forward, intent on reaching Rai before a lucky shot finished off the work that Jeremiah had begun. Rifle fire of all kinds hailed down on him but he paid it no mind, until he got to the Gekka nothing mattered and so he pushed on. Fate still seemed to have him on its bad side though, as just as he was about to reach him, the pink Akatsuki model suddenly dropped back to the ground right in front of him.

 _No, not now!_ Roaring in frustration, he brought the Byakuen's blade to bear and struck at the damned machine that was ruining everything for him, but the cursed thing just brought up its claws and countered his strikes. _Why?!_ He demanded to any god that gave a damn enough to listen to him. _Why the hell is everything going wrong?!_

The only answer he received was a mocking giggle from the girl in the pink machine as it grabbed his blade in it's deadly fingers. For Oz it was the last straw as he yelled at her for everyone to hear, "What's so fucking funny?!"

"You really need to get a hold of your emotions." The girl responded lightly, barely noting his question nor her machine shaking the slightest bit as he tried to free his machine's weapon from her own's hold. "You've left your friend unguarded."

Her words rang true as, enraged as he was, Oz still looked around to see what it was she was talking about. What he saw had him kicking and cursing himself as Dian's Akatsuki was attacked from all sides by the Vincents as well as Gottwald's huge machine opening up its missile ports, showing more projectiles upon him. Dian was putting up a hell of a fight, but his machine had already lost a leg and there were sparks coming out of its joints where the armour had been blasted away, revealing wiring that was starting to fail.

"You left him to come after me." The girl told him with all the softness of an ice pick. "And now he'll die because of you. But first..." The claws holding the Byakuen's blade suddenly tightened, shattering it and leaving Oz temporarily defenceless. A moment later the pink unit had kicked him to the ground, its cannons pointed squarely at his cockpit.

 _This is it..._ No matter what he thought of, Oz couldn't see a way out of it...he'd failed. In the end everything he had done had blown up in his face, and now he was at the mercy of Britannia. And there was only one way this could end. Therefore, ignoring the panicked cries of his teammates, he glared up defiantly at the twin barrels, ready to meet his end.

* * *

It was a pity really, this boy somewhat reminded her of Lelouch when he first started out: cocksure, arrogant, prone to flights of rage. Given enough time he could have been something amazing...but that was why C.C. knew this boy had to die. Someone that good would be a threat to Lelouch...and she was done with people trying to take away what was hers. Therefore she felt no remorse when she pointed the Morrigan's cannons at the white Guren lookalike with the funny arm and pulled the trigger.

Her shot however went wide as a sword, of all things, suddenly slammed into her arm and triggered the ADF. C.C. almost sighed in annoyance as she turned away from the defeated boy to face whoever it was who decided they wanted to be a hero. But that sigh turned to dark glee as she recognised the customised red Alexander model - what had they named it, Red Ogre? - coming straight at her, alongside another lilac painted custom unit and a standard Alexander that was painted white with lines of blue. Her smile was only for the last one though: That tugging sensation had returned.

Suddenly all interest in her downed foe left her and she turned all her attention to the newcomers...but those other two hardly interested her and so she contacted Jeremiah. "It seems the girl can pilot a Knightmare Frame." She told him lightly before continuing. "I'll take care of her, you can play with the other two."

Without bothering to hear his acknowledgment, she launched the Morrigan into the sky and rained fire down on the three machines. They dodged her attack as she'd hoped they would do, their formation going wide, and then she dived down on her target. Her Blaze Claws came online and she made to slice the machine, and Leila, in half, however it was not to be as the lilac custom unit - the Alexander _Liberte,_ she at last remembered - intercepted her with its sword.

 _Not bad._ She was forced to admit. _I'd thought he was too far away to get to her in time._ _Not that it's a problem._

Quickly, she pulled the Morrigan away from the _Liberte_ and then struck forward again, if he wanted to play the White Knight for this girl that was fine by her. Slicing and clawing, she started to push against the custom unit, however she was mildly impressed to see that the boy wasn't one to back down easily as he parried every one of her attacks and even got in a few of his own with his machine's katana. Their little stalemate was broken however when Leila herself joined in, using her machine's rifle to fire at the Morrigan and forcing C.C. to disengage, backing away from the _Liberte_ when it tried to kick her machine off its legs.

She didn't get long to reassess her situation though as both machines switched to their Insect Modes and launched themselves at her, once again forcing her to retreat away from the battle. In that moment she realised what they had done and couldn't help the feeling of approval at her adversaries' actions: they'd recognised her as the superior threat, even though the Sutherland Sieg was dealing out far greater damage than she had.

 _But any brute can kill._ She correctly guessed their intentions. _It's the brain behind the brawn that is truly dangerous._ At that she couldn't help a giggle even as the Morrigan hit the arena walls of the Colosseum, the two EU machines bearing down on her. _They have no idea how right they are._

* * *

"YEEEEHOOOO!"

Ashley's trademark exuberance gave him away before he even smashed into the Vincent Wards, Red Ogre's second sword drawn, and immediately set to work in taking them down. The machines backed away, trying to put some distance between them and him, but he gave chase and took the fight to them. Before they could switch out their weapons to their rifles, he was already upon them and they fell in piles of broken metal.

"Now this is more like it!" He crowed happily as another batch tried to escape him. "No more running about with our tails between our legs!"

And he meant it. All they'd been doing was running away since the Netherlands, it was about damn time they got the drop on Britannia for a change and he was going to enjoy every damn second of it! Therefore, when Jeremiah's gigantic compensation device opened fire on him with his cannon, Ashley just whooped for joy again and weaved around it, dancing away from the hail of missiles that came after.

 _Good, they're shooting me now._ He noted as even the Centurions turned away from the other group, namely the downed hunched machine - what did they call it? Akatsuki? - _Whatever, that dumbass oughta just get outta here while he still can._

Maybe he was a bit telepathic because suddenly one of the Centurions returned its attention to the damaged Knightmare and to aim with its VARIS. _Shit!_ He tried to get around his new playmates to stop the machine from firing but the remaining Vincents kept him where he was, helped along by Orange boy spouting as much as he could about honour and pride and that godawful word he loved to screech: loyalty. It all spurred them on to keep him where he was until he could only accept what was going to happen to his ally.

 _He's going to die..._ and then he shrugged. _Oh well._

Apparently not though, as a moment later that strange white machine of theirs, the Byakuen, appeared in front of the Akatsuki, it's right arm now seemingly fitted with a large sniper rifle which it used to fire at the Centurion. While none of the shots hit, it served to put off the enemy Knightmare and it flew up and away from them though it still returned fire which also missed its target. However that was fine, the down machine was out of danger for now.

"Not bad" Ashley called out to the Byakuen's pilot, "how many gadgets does that thing have?"

The pilot however replied with a demand of his own, establishing a video connection to reveal the face of that blond shit they'd been told to save "What the hell are you people doing here?! You're supposed to be leaving!"

"Oh that's the thanks we get is it?" He retorted, snorting before bring Red Ogre around to cut down another Vincent whose pilot was too stupid for his own good. "Well then the next time you get yourself into a perfect little jam, we'll leave you behind no matter what Miss Tits has to say about it."

"Miss Tits?"

"You know, silver hair, big boobs, big laugh..." he grinned as he remembered how the woman had glomped the little guy when they'd arrived. "For some reason likes you more than the rest of us manly men."

"X?" The boy didn't seem to believe what he was hearing. "What the hell is she playing at?"

"Do I care?" Ashley asked back, his eyes turning skyward again to face the giant machine above. "I'm here cos I heard Orange Boy was around." He declared, his grin turning feral as he revved up Red Ogre's landspinners. "I've got a score to settle with that loudmouth!"

So saying, he launched his machine forwards, racing right through the enemy lines even as they opened fire on him or tried to stop him with their lances. The Centurions couldn't do anything to stop him either, being in the air and out of grabbing reach, and so Ashley moved forward unimpeded until Red Ogre reached the side of the arena walls and then started racing up the ancient seating levels until he came right to the very top of the Colosseum. Then he sent his machine flying back inwards, right in Gottwald's path.

 _I've got you this time, Orange! There's only room enough for one badass on the battlefield, and that badass is me!_ These were the words he intended to yell when he got Ogre's sword through that thick armour to the loudmouth underneath. He was going to shout them through the man's ears and make sure every Britannian heard it when he killed him. The Emperor liked this man, so Ashley would take him away.

Or that was the plan at least until, when he brought his sword forward to pierce the giant orange machine's armour from above, that damned blue shield appeared again, repelling the attack. That would have been alright had it not been for the fact that, a moment later, Gottwald used one of his machine's giant lance hearkens to flick him off and send him spiralling back down to earth.

 _Motherfucking cheap-shotting non-engaging big-gun-having fun-ruining bastard!_ Were the words that resonated through Ashley's head as he quickly transformed Red Ogre to its insect mode to spread out the landing. The impact shook him but he was too pissed off to even think about stopping this fight just yet. "Get down here you fucking cheat!"

Gottwald responded by firing his cannon again straight at him, forcing him to evade and move away from the giant machine. A rumble behind him caught his attention and he glanced round to see Akito and Leila having their own hands full with their opponent. The pink machine apparently had a decent pilot as it had moved itself out of its boxed in position and was now firing on them with its arm mounted cannons. That would have been enough of a problem, but once it had created some distance between them, the machine opened fire with its shoulder mounted cannons sending orbs of familiar red death their way.

 _Shit, I need to get over there._ Having fought another knightmare with that kind of weaponry Ashley knew just how much of a risk they were taking, even if it was two on one. Thoughts of helping them were cut off though when one of the huge spear harkens from Gottwald slammed into the dirt beside him, a clear reminder that there was more than one threat to them on this battlefield.

Thus he was forced to watch as the pink machine rushed the _Liberte_ with its green laser claws, slashing at Akito and removing his machine's right arm. It could have taken more, but the Japanese boy knew better than to risk it and quickly pulled back. However, it wasn't all bad; the pink machine had separated Akito and Leila, true enough, but now Leila's Alexander was coming at the enemy machine from behind. When Akito jumped away, she launched forward, her machine in insect mode, and made to latch itself around their opponent and hold it still.

That was the plan, at least, until Ashley saw a familiar shield wall erupt into existence on the pink machine's back. Not the single blaze luminous but something similar to what he'd seen on the Knight of Two's knightmare in the Netherlands. Regardless of the type, the end result was the same; Leila was pushed back and suddenly found herself at the mercy of the Britannian pilot.

It didn't have time to turn and engage her, however, as Akito was suddenly on the offensive, though with only one arm left and his katana lost he could only fight with his rifle. This did little but distract the pink enemy as the same shield wall rose up again taking every shot Akito made.

 _Damn,_ Ashley could only think to himself, an ironic grin stretching his face, _we could really go down this time._

But if that was on the cards, then what the hell, he might as well enjoy his last few moments. As such he turned his attention away from his friends and back on to Jeremiah Gottwald. _I'll skewer that damn orange if it's the last thing I do!_ And with that, he charged back into the fray with another zealous whoop.

* * *

"Remind me again why we're not helping them?" Franz muttered, more to himself than to Anna who Leila had ordered him to stay with, as he paced impatiently around the hangar (just about the only secure area left if the last reports were true). They had been caught completely with their asses in the air when Britannia had hit them, virtually all their machines ready to leave as soon as Leila gave the O.K., meaning it took them longer to get into the fighting than the rest of the EU regiment in Rome and the result spoke for it. No one was really sure why they had stuck around, save for the fact that they were doing Miss X a favour.

That was when Anna had hit on the mad scheme they were putting into play now, redirecting Asura Team to some of the more heavy fighting with grunts and leaving Ashley, Leila and Akito to fend for themselves. Understandably, Franz was a bit put out by this. But Anna saw it differently as she explained, again, her reasoning. "This is an opportunity we can't afford to miss! They knocked out over half our forces and our equipment before they even engaged."

"Yeah, I noticed." He groused. "What of it?"

"Well, have you noticed that the Britannians aren't suffering the same effects?" She pointed out, "Electromagnetic pulses aren't people, they can't pick and choose what machinery they kill off. Therefore there must be something about the Britannian Knightmares that protects them from the effects."

"And you think you can figure it out in the middle of a battle?" He asked her not just a little bit skeptically with a touch of agitation. This was hardly the time for a science experiment, there were people out there fighting and dying whilst he remained in here. Ashley had gone off to fight Gottwald alone, a fool's errand in itself with that damned shield the Orange Knight used, whilst Leila had gone to offer herself up as bait, both actions likely to result in their deaths if they kept at it for too long. They needed to get out of Rome, if Leila was right on her assumption that they were after her then that was the best way to save what little military strength the EU had left in Italy instead of this holding action that may get them all killed!

However, Anna never responded to his remark as she was distracted by the delivery of a downed Vincent Ward, the machines legs and right arm blown off and its cockpit section gone - likely ejected. She didn't even hesitate to acknowledge the arrival and simply waved over Hilda and Kate who brought with them several bundles of wires that were connected to a set of computers that were miraculously still working. Even as they made their way over to her she'd already dived into the knightmare, removing the armour from the torso and, from what Franz could see, hacking away into the underlying machinery.

She didn't even look up as her two helpers connected the leads of their wires to the Vincent's head and knelt down next to her with their computers, merely asking, "Have you got it?"

"We've got it." Hilda confirmed, looking at something on her screen that to Franz just looked like a bunch of squiggles.

"Right." Tearing away at the final layers of inner framing, Anna came to a halt and reached behind her for something. Seeing her cue, Kate placed another lead in her open palm and then the soft spoken scientist went right back to it with a zeal Franz had never seen in her before. Hooking up the lead to what he could only guess was the thing she was looking for, she backed away at last and stood up, taking Kate's laptop out of her hands and began typing away on the keyboard, muttering. "I hope this works."

"Hope what works?" Franz demanded at last, completely perplexed at to what the three of them were doing. What the hell did a bunch of rewiring and a funny Richter reading have to do with saving their asses?

Anna once again didn't pause from her work, but this time she did answer. "You're right Franz, I can't work out how the Britannians are immune to the effects of their weapons," she admitted, before the tiny beginnings of a smile began to emerge, "but I can trip their defences just for a little while to give Leila and the others a chance."

"You've figured out how to switch them off?!" He exclaimed, disbelief warring with hope at the possibility.

"Unfortunately no," Kate replied, apparently without anything to do now that her computer was out of her hands, "that would require us to completely strip the machine down and connect it completely to a Brain Raid System. That's the only reason the Alexander units are still working, and we just don't have the time to do that."

"But I can hook it up to a more basic version of the system right now." Anna continued, still not looking up from her work. "Whatever defences are in place are controlled by a system of firewalls too immense to bring down right now. However, theoretically, I can send a command along the Britannians' radio waves to shut down at least some of their defences. It won't be enough to cripple them like they did to us but-"

"But it'll be enough to slow them down and give our guys time to escape." Franz finished off for her, finally seeing where she was coming from, that bubble of hope now rising high up his throat. They had a chance! Not much of one but damn if it wasn't better than how it had been before. Beaming at the three geniuses before them, he fought the urge to kiss them all at once and happily ordered, "Do it!"

* * *

Sweat was beading down Leila's brow as the pink Akatsuki model launched another attack at her which she barely evaded. As time had wore on it had become clear that this pilot was more than just a grunt in a fancy machine, whoever was piloting it was a deserving ace on the same levels as the Scarlet Guard who were giving Ashley and the Peace Mark pilots a very tough time. Frankly the only reason she was alive was thanks to Akito's ranged support, but even that was limited to when he himself wasn't under fire from the Britannian troops.

As it stood they were beginning to be boxed in, the seven allied machines becoming slowly surrounded as new reinforcements spilled in from above whilst Jeremiah Gottwald kept them pinned from the air. The final surrounding action was complete when the _Liberte_ was distracted by the new Vincents, a chance the pink knightmare took and immediately rushed Leila. The particle claws now came slashing at her even faster than before and she found herself had pressed to evade them all - she dared not block, lest the claws rip right through her Alexander's arm and leave her that much less defended. In a last ditch effort she made to arm one of her Uruna Edge Knives in her machine's arm, barely a pause in the battle itself but all the break in the action that her opponent needed.

Even as her Alexander raised its arm to engage with the knives, the pink machine slashed diagonally, ripping through both arms. She barely had time to gasp in shock as the Akatsuki suddenly shunted forwards, smacking her Alexander backwards and onto its back. Defenceless, she could only look up as the machine bared down on her.

 _I can't win._ She realised bleakly, and it wasn't just her. Around her she could see that Akito had been forced back and was now also completely armless and Ashley, for all his efforts to bring Gottwald down, was now firmly flat on his back...though she took some small pride that it took both of the Centurions present to hold him down. As for the four they'd come to help, both mass produced Akatsuki models were heavily damaged along with their Gekka model, the unregistered white model was the only one still firmly active but Leila highly doubted Oz could keep it up for much longer.

 _Well, I wanted to know how long it would be._ She admitted, cursing herself for tempting fate so brazenly. _But at least we bought enough time for the others to get away._

Her thoughts and hopes would soon be dashed though when her radio blared to life and a voice she hadn't been expecting called out to her. "Leila! Are you there? Can you read me?"

"Anna?!" She called out, what the hell was she doing calling her now...for that matter how was it she was still in range? "What's the meaning of this? You were supposed to escape!"

"Well then," a new voice called out, "you're really gonna be pissed off with us." The flippant statement heralded the arrival of two Alexander Valiants, practically out of nowhere, leaping onto the back of the pink Akatsuki and dragging it back from Leila's downed unit.

"Ryo! Ayano!" Akito called out, recognising the custom jobs of the two machines, in disbelief. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be getting everyone out!"

"The better question, Akito," Ayano easily replied, a grunt coming through on the radio as the pink machine threw her and Ryo off of it and came about to face them, "is why did we jump on that thing instead of - I don't know - sticking a knife in it?"

"Hey, it made sense at the time!" Was Ryo's defence as he pulled his Valiant out of range of the deadly claws and armed its arm mounted battle axe to defend as the Akatsuki charged straight at him. Particle claws met steel blade in a short lock before the two pushed off and Ayano fired on the enemy machine with her Judgment rifle. Her shot was on the mark, but the infernal shield wall went up, protecting the target from any damage. "Are you kidding me?!" Ryo shouted at the sight of it, "This one has it too?!"

"We can complain about that later." Ayano told him before addressing Leila, "Listen to Anna, we've got a plan but you need to do exactly as she says."

A plan? It was hard for her to believe that even Anna could have come up with something so quickly, and even if she had their machines were more crippled than intact and the Britannian numbers kept swelling. Numbers were a quality of their own after all, and Jeremiah Gottwald and the Centurions more than matched their own machines when they were at full strength. Whatever it was Anna had in mind had to be either brilliant or insane...

Seeing though as she was out of ideas herself, Leila mentally shrugged and switched her frequency over to Anna. "Alright, what do we do?"

"Just be ready to run." She told her shortly, "The signal will be a noise coming from one of the Vincents, when you hear it run with all the power your machines have left."

"Wait a minute," Ashley cut in, "a noise from a _Vincent?_ How's that work?"

"We don't have time!" Anna cut in harshly, "Just be ready to receive coordinates." That was all she said and the radio went silent.

Not so much for the others as Ashley immediately made his opinion known. "This is crazy! How're we supposed to know which sound to listen for?"

"We don't exactly have a choice." Akito pointed out as he brought the _Liberte_ back on to its feet (the Britannians were currently distracted with the arrival of the two Valiants to worry about a pair of crippled Alexanders) before coming around to help Leila's Alexander back up. He was right too, they were out of options, and the longer this dragged on the more likely it was that Ayano and Ryo would end up in the same wrecked state as their machines or worse like what happened to Yukiya.

 _But Anna didn't say what to listen for._ Leila also admitted Ashley had a point as well, they knew next to nothing about what Anna was planning except what she'd told them. How were they supposed to know when the signal was given, especially with so much going on around them? _Either way, it's a risk. We wait for a signal that we don't know, during which time the Britannians surround and kill us, or we leap at the first sound we hear only for it not to be correct after which the Britannians surround and kills...or we get it right, make a break for it and hope for the best...and pray to the gods that the Britannians don't surround and kill us._ Not the best of options...but it was all they had.

Therefore, despite her misgivings - both in regards to the plan and who she was contacting - she opened a channel with the Peace Mark pilots. "Listen up, we have an escape plan. Wait till you hear a noise and then run for it."

"What kind of noise?" The familiar voice of the silver haired boy from before asked back, his blue Gekka barely holding together with the loss of its left arm.

"I don't know," she admitted, "that's all I was told. Wait for a noise coming from one of their Vincents and then run for it."

"That's it?!" Ah, the dulcet tones of the voice she recognised as Oz cut in. And shock of shocks he was less than impressed with Anna's plan to get them out of this mess he and his friends had landed them in. "That's your grand scheme to save us? Wait for a sound and then run away, hoping they don't shoot us?"

"If you've got a better plan, let's hear it." Ayano snapped back, her Valiant coming around to flank Leila's other side whilst still providing cover fire for Ryo as he held off the pink machine. Her statement was met with an annoyed growl, probably a result more of his own teammates pointing out that there was little they could do than anything she had said, but Oz made no further comment. Further confirmation of their complicity came as the crippled grey Akatsuki's cockpit hatch opened and the figure of Zi Dian hastily made his way over to Oz's Knightmare which bent down to collect him.

Leila didn't have time to thank anyone for their trust - grudging though it may be - though, as her secondary hub suddenly pinged in announcement of the arrival of Anna's plotted escape route. Quickly she brought them up on her screen...and blanched at what they depicted; they pointed to an exit alright, one of the old tunnels in the Colosseum itself, but standing between them and freedom was the full bulk of the remaining Vincents. _Is Anna mad? Charging them head on would be suicidal!_ She would likely be hearing the same from Oz if she hadn't already muted him.

Still...what choice did they have?

"Alright." She spoke up, steeling herself for this mad dash. "Everyone get ready. The moment I give the word, we all hit our accelerators and we don't stop until there's nothing shooting at us."

There was another round of grumbling, though none of which came from her own soldiers, but no one made a move to countermand her. Together they grouped up as the enemy machines fully encircled them, with the exception of Ryo and Ashley - one of whom remained locked in battle with the pink Akatsuki, the other still trying to land a hit on Gottwald (though that particular engagement had degenerated into basically yelling insults at the giant floating machine) - the Vincents didn't take their chance lying down and quickly started laying down suppressing fire pushing them closer and closer together until all of their machines' backs were touching each other. Ryo's brief fight with the pink unit came to an end when the pilot apparently grew weary of it and simply launched itself into him, sending his Valiant reeling back and into the rest of them, whilst Gottwald tired of Ashley's yelling and merely launched his lance-hearkens at Red Ogre forcing it too into the central group.

The push went until it was truly impossible for their machines to move without hitting each other, their mobility well and truly compromised. Only then did the machines suddenly halt their assault, which Leila could only assume came from the orders of one of the custom units. Her suspicions were proved correct when the voice of Jeremiah Gottwald came through her radio. "A valiant effort, soldiers of Europe United, coming to the aid of others," he complemented, though the tone quickly became chiding - almost chastising - as he went on, "and yet also foolhardy. Had you not come to help these soldiers the W-0 Unit could have escaped long before we turned our eyes to you."

 _W-0, or just me?_ Either way it was a confirmation of her suspicions...but that wasn't going to make her feel guilty over her choices. She'd had a call to make and she wouldn't be cowed into believing she'd made the wrong one, even if it was her just repaying her debt to Miss X by saving people she really had no reason to trust.

Gottwald, however. knew none of this as he finished his short lecture. "And now, in the name of Emperor Lelouch vi Britannia, 99th Monarch of the Realm, we shall remove you from the board." His speech was followed with his machine's cannon powering back up whilst the Centurions took aim with their VARIS's.

Tensing up, Leila prepared herself for the worst as she knew the others were doing likewise - she could imagine the number of curses Oz was yelling right about now - and let out one final prayer.

 _Anna!_

And then, to her immense relief, a miracle happened: Directly ahead of her, the immediate Vincent in her Alexander's vicinity began twitching before letting out a horrid loud whining. The whining grew in strength and after a moment Leila realised it wasn't just one of the Knightmares making this noise but all of them, even the Centurions were shaking awfully compared to their near seamless mobility from before and the same loud screech coming out of their external speakers.

It took a moment for the surprised European group to realise what was happening - even Ryo and Ayano seemed somewhat nonplussed as to what was going on - but that only lasted a couple of seconds before Leila put it together. A noise from one of the Vincents - the one directly in front of her that happened to overlay the planned escaped route - was the signal Anna had been telling her about. Their chance had come!

"NOW!" She yelled at the top of her lungs before slamming her foot down on the accelerator and sending her Alexander forward for all it was worth. She could vaguely hear Akito calling for her to stop in her near suicidal charge but she blocked it out, this had to be it! Anna had to have done more than just cause some communications trouble with the enemy machines.

Her faith in her friend proved true when she forced her way passed the shuddering Vincent right in front of her; it fell back without any sort of fight, toppling into the knightmare behind it and setting off a domino effect where all the Britannian machines in their immediate vicinity were knocked to the ground. Not bothering to question their good luck or how the hell Anna had found a way to use their enemy's trick against them, Leila and the rest kept up their pace and raced for the exit.

They were nearing the exit tunnel when an incoming warning blared on her screen and she quickly pulled to the left, just in time to dodge a VARIS blast from behind them. Gulping she turned on her rear screen to see what was happening; sure enough the Centurions had righted themselves and were now opening fire on their retreating forms.

"What the hell?!" The girl from the Peace Mark team demanded, "I thought they were fried!"

"Not fried, just confused." Ayano piped up, "Anna found a way to hack their systems with the BRS but could only do so much with the little time we had."

 _Still a better chance than we had before._ Leila considered, even as Gottwald's machine - which never seemed to have been effected by whatever it was Anna had done in the first place - leveled its main cannon at them. "We can discuss this later!" She cut in before a discussion of what had happened just now could erupt, "For now let's just get out of here!"

Her recommendation was met with a hearty 'Yes Ma'am!' from all her pilots and thus they continued their race for the tunnels. They only just made it before Gottwald's cannon fired, smashing into the walls of the Colosseum and burying the precious exit. They didn't stop though, not until they came out of the Colosseum and had their eyes on the W-0 convoy that was waiting for them just a little way off. Only then did Leila let out a sigh of relief...

* * *

"Cowards!" Jeremiah's cry of rage echoed through his cockpit, down his radio, and out into the open stadium that their enemies had just vacated. The absolute nerve of those cretins! "You dare face me in battle and then have the gall to turn your tail and leave after such a cheap trick?!"

What had they done to the machines of his men? One moment victory had been all but assured, the next every last knightmare - Lady C.C.'s included in that number - had started to behave erratically. Such a sight had been unprecedented in the Vincent Wards throughout their time in service, as such the sight of them behaving like a second-hand Glasgow had caught him completely by surprise. It was enough of a distraction for the cowardly fools to run away, even as he and the Centurions tried to give chase.

And now they'd lost them! The prize that Master Lelouch had tasked him with obtaining had slipped through his fingers for a second time! Such a thing was disgraceful and, were it not for the fact it would inconvenience His Majesty, Jeremiah ought do what any decent soldier should do and throw himself on his sword in penance for his blunder. How dare these European cretins make a fool out of him?!

Such thoughts merely spiked his temper again and he sent the Sutherland Sieg into the air so that the craven dogs could see as well as hear him as he gave them his declaration. "Run where you can, you honourless curs! But know wherever you go I shall give chase! Not another day will follow that you do not check your shadow, never again will you break bread in the comfort that you have eluded me, no more shall you sing songs of victory for Europe! Hear these words and know that Jeremiah Gottwald shall never rest, until he brings your heads to the throne of His Majesty's court - a solid proof and reminder of my loyalty!"

"Oh calm down, Jeremiah." C.C.'s much more composed tone carried over his words at the end, much to his own disbelief. "Yelling at the top of your lungs isn't going to find them any quicker. Save it for when we've located them again."

"But my Lady!" He turned to face her machine as the Sieg descended back into the Colosseum, still finding it difficult to swallow that she was taking this all in stride. "They have insulted us twice now! Such a precedent cannot stand lest His Majesty appear weak! We must crush them before-"

"And we will, good knight." She assured him, still as cool as ever even as she tested out her machine to make sure everything was still working properly after the EU did...whatever it was they did to them. "Just not now. For now let's focus on taking Rome. At the very least that's the last of the large EU member nations under our control."

Her last statement was enough to perplex him enough to put the current topic of vengeance aside, "Beg pardon, my Lady, but the last?" He asked her, "Surely there's still-"

He was cut off again by C.C., though this time in the form of a small amused laugh before she actually told him what was so funny. "Turn on your broadcast frequency and switch to channel twenty-three." She instructed him, still with the touch of a smile in her tone as she did so.

Curious as to what it could possibly be that had C.C. laughing, Jeremiah did as he was told and flipped on the Sieg's broadcasting frequency. The main screen immediately cut out to background noise and he quickly changed the channel to the one specified. When he saw what it was that C.C. had seen, his initial reaction was one of disbelief...then as the implications of what he was seeing hit him he saw exactly what C.C. had found so amusing. A moment later he too was laughing, though rather than in scant amusement, his chuckles were tinged with pride.

It would appear his master had not been content with remaining idle after all.

* * *

 **Outskirts of Rome**

There had been no time to load up the Alexanders upon their reunion and as such the battered and beaten Wyvern Squad (plus Ashley) became an impromptu bodyguard for the convoy as they raced out of the capital. Despite linking back up with their friends, tensions remained high until they finally loaded all their equipment and machines onto a train and escaped along one of the older rail lines. Longer, but less known, it was their best bet of slipping by any Britannian patrols.

When the final slab of concrete passed them by, and all that remained was a field of green, the whole of W-0 let out a deep sigh of relief. They had made it.

That didn't stop Oscar from getting everyone back on task and working, though, and soon after it was business as usual as the train carried them out and away from Italy. Leila however allowed herself a brief moment of silence, her eyes not focused on the green fields but on the city they'd left behind. Even as the morning sun rose higher the smoke from the fires in Rome were still visible, fires started because she had been there.

 _They won't stop._ She knew this, had known this for quite some time, the outside was just a visual reminder. But even if that was true, they now had something to give them an edge the next time the Britannians knocked out their older models. If that developed into something useful, maybe the loss of another country would be worth it. _Speaking of which..._

"Leila!" She needn't have gone looking for the woman of the hour as Anna's called heralded her arrival and a moment later the two girls in a tight hug. "You're safe! You're all safe!"

Smiling gently at her friend's near tearful statement, Leila just stroked her hair lightly and didn't let up in their embrace at all. "It was thanks to you that we made it Anna," she reminded her, before glancing up and seeing Kate and Hilda stood a little way back and nodded to them as well, "and you two as well. Had it not been for you three we wouldn't have escaped with our lives."

"Oh there's no need to praise us," Hilda told her, though she did return the smile, "Anna's the hero. She was amazing today."

"Hey!" Ryo's loud voice called out, his own goofy expression twisted in a look of mock offence, "What about me and Ayano? We had to out there and carry the damn Vincent back for her to work that magic of hers!"

 _Maybe he shouldn't advertise himself the way these three have._ Leila thought to herself, barely rolling her eyes as she hugged Anna a little tighter, conveniently putting her at ear level so she could whisper to her. "Don't think you're off the hook for violating orders."

Either her friend didn't hear her, or she didn't care, because she barely reacted to the light reprimand. And if Leila was being honest, it was likely the punishment she'd later devise wouldn't fit the crime even if it had been brazenly stupid to risk more lives on such a gamble.

"All right, everyone, enough with the love-in!" Claus's voice called them all unwillingly back to reality and the girls broke away from each other, Anna leading her helpers back to the Alexanders so she could get to work on fixing them whilst Ryo snorted and went back to whatever it was he'd been doing. As for Claus, he smilingly came to a rest at her side and gave the whole group a good look over. "That had to be the closest shave we've had so far, and yet here we are in one piece. Are we that good, or is the Emperor getting sloppy?"

But she just shook her head, her frown returning. "We got lucky, that's all there is to it." She told him grimly, arms folding as she took in the damage of her Alexander. "If Anna hadn't come through we'd all be dead."

"Well she did, and you're not." Claus replied, shrugging lightly. "I'd call that a win."

"Hmm...speaking of which," she glanced his way briefly, "what exactly was it she did? It was as if the Britannian knightmares were drones with a poor handler."

But again he just shrugged, shaking his head in bewilderment. "You got me. I don't know what goes through that cute little brain of hers. I just know it had to do with hacking into a Vincent we captured. The rest is voodoo as far as I'm concerned."

"It probably had to do with the BRS." The warm male voice preceded the arrival of Takeru, who was unsurprisingly sporting just as warm as smile as he joined them, "As that system was uncompromised by the EMP, I can only assume Anna found a way to use it to our advantage, though you'd have to ask her to find out the truth." He just shook his head though. "Personally, I'm just glad everyone's alright."

Accepting his word for what it was, Leila nodded before putting the subject to one side. "Is there something you wanted, Takeru?"

"Not me, particularly, but you're wanted at the front." He told her, his smile dropping somewhat. "We need to plan our next move now that Miss X has left us."

A valid point, to which Leila nodded and told him to lead the way. Miss X had gone with Oz and the Peace Mark group when they split off, she hadn't said where they were going or what they were going to do now that virtually all of Western Europe had fallen to Britannia. All she had said was that 'Ozzy' wouldn't let this be the end for them and that he'd be back in the fight soon enough. With her gone they were in the dark more than ever, especially considering the fact that they had gone to Rome on her recommendation and were now basing their next destination also on her word...and that wasn't much, just that 'many things' awaited them there.

 _Hardly actionable data._ Leila thought to herself grimly as she Takeru and Claus entered the front-most train carriage which had been more or less converted into a central command station. It wasn't much with the little time they'd had, but they still had a big screen and they still had computers that flowed data and listened to the airwaves. As such they could still operate until they arrived at their destination.

Upon noting her arrival, Oscar straightened and gave her a quick salute before stepping away from what looked like a makeshift podium, obviously what they'd been using as the CO's stand, which Leila now took over. Not wasting any time she immediately asked him, "Have we had any trouble?"

"Nothing substantial," the bespectacled officer reported, "we had a brief scare when we first set out but the patrols are now either too far away or too focused on the mainlines to worry about us."

 _Good, then we might just be able to pull this off._ Still it was best to let what was left of command know what they were doing. _Who's left now? Most were killed right at the start of the attack._ Shaking off that concerning thought for a moment, she turned to Chloe. "Get Berlin on the line, let them know what's happened here and where we're headed."

"No need." She unexpectedly replied, "They're calling us on the priority frequency..." but then she frowned, as if the data didn't match up with what she'd just said, "no, wait a minute...it's a live stream. Something's going down in Berlin that they want us to see."

This grabbed not only Leila's attention, but that of everyone else in the carriage. Despite the heavy losses of territory in Germany, Berlin was still considered the capital of the EU. For them to send a broadcast live from the city itself, as well as sending it through the secret channels to ensure arrival, it could only be of the utmost importance. Of course, whether it was good news or not still remained to be seen as Joe reminded them with his short comment. "Maybe they're saying they've surrendered."

That got him the stink eye from most of the other occupants in the room, no more so than Claus who snorted before responding, "As if! Us surrender? That's like saying the Chinese Eunuchs didn't like to play with little boys. Those guys're too stubborn to quit, sad to say."

A crass way of putting it but Leila couldn't disagree, she only had to look at the vicious demands the EU had them pay in the last war to know that their commanders simply wouldn't give up until they had won...or they were dead. Thus she prayed that they were sending good news her way, and the way of every other regiment in the field that this message had to be reaching, and nodded at Chloe.

Nodding back, the ginger girl returned to her monitor and hit in a few commands, transferring the incoming feed to Leila's small terminal and then faced the screen with hopeful eyes. Begging to any god that the news Berlin was sending them wasn't going to destroy that hope, Leila took a deep breath and hit the accept command.

Immediately the white noise that had been dominating the screen faded away to be replaced by inky blackness, and everyone waited with baited breath to see what would come next. No one was particularly amazed at the void, they'd been audience to more than a few propaganda pieces to know a dramatic beginning when they saw one. Then a spotlight flickered on...and all their hopes were dashed.

It wasn't an EU representative or the President of the Union or even a military command...in fact it was no one to do with the EU at all who stood before the burning steps of the Reichstag, nor was it a European machine standing above him, the imposing black and gold machine shining in the light. The one who had contacted them, and every other regiment in the field, was none other than Lelouch vi Britannia himself.

"It can't be..." Oscar's whispered denial spoke for them all.

"How the hell did he...?!" But Claus just trailed off on his question, realising for the first time just how much time had passed since X had told them of the campaign in Germany. They'd needed less time to secure Spain, taking the rest of a country that had already been systematically carved up by the Emperor and his new Knights of the Round, occupying Berlin would be child's play.

As for Leila, she just stared in horrified awe at the sight of their nation's enemy standing triumphant in their capitol as he began to speak. "Greetings to the people of Europia United. If you are watching this then you now realise that yet another vestige of the tyrannical government that has ruled you for centuries has fallen. Yet when we entered the Reichstag to bring these beasts of injustice to heel we found naught but empty chairs and dusty tables."

"They escaped!" Oscar exclaimed quietly, a touch of hope entering his voice and for a moment Leila felt the tension in the room relax somewhat. General Smilas was still in the game, they had a chance! But then it dawned on her that telling their enemy that their leader would live to fight another day was...unwise at the best of times, downright suicidal at the worst.

 _So why would he tell us that, unless he had a..._ And then it hit her exactly what was about to happen as the White Emperor continued, "As the brave men and women of Germany sacrificed their lives for a cause they believed in, their vaunted leaders chose to abandon them rather than stand with them. Instead of sending aid to their wounded, which I have gladly given," the image of Lelouch was replaced with the blasted streets of Berlin where dozens of injured soldiers in European uniform were currently being carried gently by those who were clearly Britannian, "they determined their own lives were more important than those of their people and the constitution of equality they supposedly live by!"

"Oh gods..." Leila heard Sophie's voice nearby, at some point she'd moved to stand at her husband's side and was now gripping his sleeve as she too cottoned on to what was happening. "He's doing it again."

"Therefore," Lelouch continued, "I once again ask that the remaining European nations lay down their arms and surrender. If you truly value your belief in equal rights, I ask you to look to your common man, to the women who hold your children, to your husbands whom you may never see again...to a mother who may die for you tomorrow." An offer and a plea disguising a threat, she almost missed it herself as he talked, the sadness in his tone nearly glossed over what he was saying: stop resisting or watch your whole world burn.

"Shit..." Claus breathed, slumping against the back wall of the carriage. "This can't possibly get any worse."

Wrong, as it turned out, as the Emperor then delivered a bombshell no one had been expecting. "I would have you know that, as of yesterday evening, Norway and Sweden signed a treaty of peace and gave me their declaration of fealty. A first of what I hope to be many peaceful endings to this unhappy state of affairs."

The cumulative 'WHAT!' from everyone summed up the feelings on that little surprise. Their northernmost allies had betrayed them?! That only left the eastern nations, countries which Leila knew weren't nearly as strong as they had been before the Euro-Britannian invasion. If they got wind of this, how long before they decided assimilation was better than resistance?

 _Not long._ She was aware that the east held the central and western Europeans in scant regard, mostly due to old grudges from before the union but most recently how the central powers had left them to fend for themselves when Euro-Britannia came knocking. Why should they fight if Britannia was offering peace? _He's driving us into the dirt with every word he utters._

"Therefore, I say again, disarm yourselves and meet me at the negotiation table." Lelouch concluded, placing a hand over his heart "And I promise no more of your people need die. For you would then be my people," and then his eyes focused straight ahead, right into the camera lens, which had the effect of him appearing to stare right at everyone watching the broadcast. For Leila it was if those deep amethyst eyes were staring right into her soul as he told them in no uncertain terms, "and I protect that which is mine."

His declaration complete, the image of Lelouch vi Britannia cut out and let the chaos of his words take hold.

For a while...for a long while, the command staff of W-0 just remained frozen where they stood, so quiet that the sounds of the train wheels rattling along the railway line amplified just how hard the White Emperor's words had hit them. They had hoped for good tidings only to be met with their worst nightmare and were now heading into a theatre of uncertain allegiance.

 _How?_ Leila asked herself, her head hanging low to hide her wide eyed, despair filled, terror. _How can we possibly win?_

* * *

 **Beneath the Tyrrhenian Sea**

If someone had told him that today would be the day he lost all sense of sanity, Oz would have ignored them and continued scheming up a plot to take down Britannia once and for all. Now though, in just under the span of a couple of hours, he'd learned that Geass could actually be ignored by the fact that Leila Malcal hadn't taken them to High Command, then that very same High Command got blown up by a Britannian sneak attack that knocked out anything that wasn't theirs, Japanese, or cleverly built like those Alexanders, and then he and his friends had been thrown about like a bunch of rag dolls by a pink knightmare.

After that he thought it had been enough, couldn't that be enough? Dian was injured, Rai's Gekka had lost its main offensive weapon, Alice was even more furious than she usually was, and X was still playing her games. At the very least though, she'd provided the submarine he and the rest of Peace Mark - or what was left of it after that debacle - could use to escape. He'd thought about asking her where the hell she'd acquired it but then realised he really didn't care so long as it gave him time to think.

Time that apparently Lelouch vi Britannia didn't want to give him though when they intercepted the high priority message from Berlin. Thinking that it would be something of use he'd had the communications officer put it through...

One long winded speech about tyranny, freedom, and betrayal, later found Oz standing perfectly still, a blank expression on his face as he took it all in, whilst X stood to the side digging into a full bucket of ice cream. Inside though, he was screaming every last possible curse he knew.

Unsurprisingly, then, his first cognitive thought after he ran out of languages to swear in was, _THAT FUCKING BASTARD!_ _He dares preach about oppression and fairness whilst he takes and takes and takes!? Those damned traitorous northerners had better enjoy their new servitude because when I'm done with him I'm coming for them next! All of them!_

He was done. No more of acting behind the scenes or slipping his way in with magic powers. Lelouch had crossed the last fucking line. If he wanted to take the whole world, then he would have to drag Oz in kicking, screaming and toothless as that was the only way he would join that bastard's domain.

But not just yet. For now they needed to regroup and repair their machines. Therefore, as calmly as he could, he told the navigator, "Set a course for the Black Sea, we need to go dark." The man didn't question the order (or say anything really, still coming to terms with Berlin's fall) and jerkily carried it out.

 _Enjoy your empire while you can, Lelouch._ Oz prayed his thoughts found their way to the bastard whose image he'd kept frozen on the main screen before him. _We'll be back. And when we return, I'll show you that you're not the only one who can take things for himself._

 **#**

 **#**

 **#**

 **#**

 **And we're here! Finally! Yeah, it was a long time...**

 **1\. Tahkaullus01 is back and fine.**

 **2\. I still don't a computer to use but thanks to my friend for help.**

 **3\. In this chapter happened many interesting things. Oz remind me of Lelouch when he just started his revolution as C.C said.**

 **Well...we're back! Yeah, well, for** now **that's all...**


	12. News about story

**OH, MY GOD!**

 **THIS IS!**

 **Not an update with new chapter**

 **...**

 **...**

 **Yeah, I'm a bastard.**

 **Yes, I know it was three months since an update. And yes, I know that everyone is tired to wait a new chapter. So, here I will answer some questions that many of you have asked.**

 **1) When new update?**

 **...**

 **I really don't know...I think soon...I hope?**

 **2) When will someone die in the story?**

 **Well, many of you have asked this and in the beginning of fanfic, I said that I want a really "big" final with all characters. But I understood that for sake of the story I need to kill someone. Do not worry, you will see it.**

 **3)This one not a question,** **but many of you said that you want to see more of original characters and little less of characters from spin-off series and my Ocs.**

 **Well, you see I actually love good OC in the story. I'm not saying that my OC are all great, but I suppose I can say they are all good enough. And under OC I want to say: Cinder, Arthur, Bishop, Alfred, Peter and D.C( we know little about her). All other characters are from Code Geass universe. I read a lot of stories on this site and I know only two good stories with Leila, Oldrin and Marrybell and I decided to give them more time than to original characters. Don't worry there will be chapters with Black Knights and Kallen. Lelouch is always here just some chapters were without him.**

 **Now I think I have answered** **to the most asked questions. And also here two things:**

 **1 Some info for next chapter**

 **Chapter Title: Rivals**

 **Location: Berlin, Secret base in Brazil.**

 **Chapter Characters: Lelouch, Alfred, Arthur, Cinder,** **Bishop,** **Peter, D.C, Suzaku, S** **chneizel, Gino,** **Nonette, Mariel.**

 **...**

 **Excited? I really hope you are. Well, I think I have said everything I want...** **except for LEMON TIME!  
**

* * *

 **My first Lemon Omake, so please be _gentle._**

* * *

 **Time XXX, Grandberry**

Marrybell Mel Britannia was tired...and really angry. After Battle of Brussels Oldrin has told her the mysterious personality of their enemy Wizard. _Who would know that he was her uncle?!_ She was mad to say at list. That man broke the heart of her knight and best friend, but not only because of it. She still mad after a little conversation with her beloved brother Lelouch. And all because of his stupid fiancé. _Just who that bitch thinks she is?!_ She wasn't mad at Lelouch, well not totally. And now she was going to her office and have some rest. But she didn't know that someone already was inside. When she opened a door she saw a violet color eyes of her beloved one. Marrybell eyes went wide and she quickly said in shock:

"Lelouch? What are you doing here?" she tried not to show how tired she was. _Totally not mad at him!_ She continued to say to herself. A young emperor looked tired as well and upset by something...

"Marry, i just want to see how are you." he sounded like something bad happened. Now Marrybell was worried too.

"What happened, brother? Did someone made you upset? Just tell me and I will!" she hasn't finished her words because Lelouch suddenly said

"My fiancé was killed."

"Ehh?" weakly murmured Marrybell. Gears in her head were busy and tried to process information. Then on her face appeared big smile, but she quickly covered her mouth with a hand, not to show to Lelouch how happy she was right now."I know it is terrible news, brother. I'm sorry." That wasn't there to see it myself she had a dark thought. but better not to tell him it.

"Thank you, Marrybell." Lelouch placed hand his right hand over his head and Marrybell approached him from the side and tried to comfort him.

"I always will be here for you, Lelouch." she said with a warm smile.

"Thank you, Marry...Now when I think about it, you are really was with me since I become emperor." he said and placed a hand on her cheek. This made her blush." Now I understand that should keep important people to me closer." Lelouch began to lean to her lips and clearly signaling what this will lead into.

"Lelouch." she whispered."But, we are siblings." even thought she didn't care about it, but she needs to hear these words from him.

"I don't care, because I need to keep people I love closer to me as much as possible." after she heard it Marrybell closed her eyes.

Her soft cool lips traced over his mouth until they latched on completely in a subtle yet indescribable sensation. She leaned herself into his space letting her dainty hands trail around the warm skin of his neck until she had both her arms closed around it. Their kiss was deepening with her lips hungrily curling over his in fervor for what felt like a blissful eternity.

Lelouch pulled her in closer with his arms enclosing around her lower back, he was getting so lost in heat of the moment with her that it felt like it was their own little world they were in. Taking the next step in subtlety Lelouch pried open Marrybell's mouth little by little with his tongue begging permission which she granted by gradually parting her lips letting her mouth inhale the spongy intruder.

Marrybel mewled in result of feeling Lelouch's tongue slowly and expertly work its way inside the damp cavern of her mouth, her grip on the back of his neck tightened. Then they moved at her office desk pushing all the things from the table. Then she hiked her left leg up over the back. Lelouch's hands instinctively trailed down to her tight buttocks completely gripping her rear in his hands. She internally moaned in response, both were getting more and more lost in the bliss of this shared intensity.

The heated moment had begun to evolve further to where they now moved their impassioned make-out session over atop the office desk with Lelouch ow trailing kisses along Marrybel's swan-like neck. Her eyes closed in ecstasy,her face flush, she bit down on her lower lip for her body was wrought with sensation due to Lelouch caressing her buttocks with one hand as he sucked/kissed along her neck.

Soon enough Lelouch's right hand went up to her chest smoothly yet slowly fondling Marrybell's left breast through her shirt. He continued working her breast and ass with his hands until he had set her off with the overload of stimulation. She loudly moaned surprising him enough to cease his ministrations for the moment and take in the sight of her glowing face staring back at him with entranced eyes.

Marrybell caressed his cheek again with a smile before reaching the top of her blouse with her other hand. Peeling it down along with her bra she unveiled her breasts to him in all its bare glory. Lelouch eyes went wide and she outstretched her arms to him in a welcoming 'come here' gesture which he accepted by leaning in to capture her lips with his again. Until Marrybell removed her face from his much to his dismay, she gestured to him to look down below and see that her undergarment now dangled on her ankles. Lelouch got the hint and moved back to quickly unbuckle his belt and undo his jeans, Marrybell couldn't help but lick her lips upon seeing his endowment; a rather sizablegirthy endowment that stood up in attention. Then pulled up skirt to her midriff and leaned back with legs spread apart enabling Lelouch to fully view her moistening womanhood. There she was sitting on the desk leaning back with one leg perched on the surface and the other dangling off it, both spread open to him alone. Her breasts displayed completely with her jacket still worn and her boots off leaving her mostly naked only added to the sexiness of it all.

Lelouch held his left hand at her hip and used the other to hold up her left thigh with her leg dangling in the air. He grabbed his length and prodded her lips apart carefully slowly embedding itself into her virginal womanhood. Before proceeding he looked up into her eyes for permission only to receive a loving smile accompanied by a quick nod. With a firm careful shove he pushed his dick far past her moist folds sheathing himself into her snatch claiming her virginity. This action elicited a small whimper of pain from Marrybell but she bit down on her left fist in order to prevent screaming out.

"Lelouch!" than she screamed in ecstasy. Now she was a woman! Her brother and emperor woman!

"Marry!" Lelouch cried as well.

"Lelouch!"

"Marry!"

* * *

" _What the fuck is this?"_ asked herself, Oldrin Zevon a royal knight of her princess that frozen here reading this 'book' for some minutes with red as blood face. She came into Marrybell's room to report her news about war but did not find anyone. And then her gaze fall over book that lying on a bed with the open page and pencil in it. Curiosity won rationality and Oldrin deiced to read, book...This was one of her biggest mistakes in life...or not?

 _What a pervert wrote these? Wait, I know who it was, Marry! Damn you!_ she cried at her mind. _And why I feel weak in legs?!_ She simply had no idea but she couldn't tear herself away. It didn't stop her panties from getting wetter by the minute. Then door opened and pervent princess herself come in a room.

"Hey, Oz. If You were searching for me I was" Marrybell was about to finish her words but then all her body frozen when she saw what a book Oldrin was holding."He-he" she laughed nervously." Look, Oz I can."

"Marrybel mel Britannia! What have you think when you wrote .SMUT!" Oldrin yelled. but still with a red face.

"Oz, Oz look I was mad after, battle, and then decided to write something to calm down...And who know that I have such talent at writing?"Heh" she said proudly.

"It's SMUT!"

"It isn't! It is literature for adults!"

"Still the smut! I confiscate this book from you?" Marrybell face went pale.

"Y-You can't! You are nor my mother!" she tried to argue.

"No, I'm your knight and it's even, closer to you right now." Oldrin said with serious face and then went outside leaving poor princess inside. Once door behind her was closed she sighed and looked at, book."Well, now when it's over...on wheech page it was?" she started searching for page and made her way towards her room.

As knight she must see what her princess was writing and appreciate it.

* * *

The End

* * *

 **...Well, what you think about it? Are you liked it or not? It was my first lemon and so I don't know if I did right here. At last days I have read some lemon stories and tried my best to write something interesting here. I wanted to mix some ideas from different lemon stories with different categories. Leave reviews if you liked it and maybe we will have something like these in future in the story. Also, I have changed rating to M**

 **So. for now that's all...Yeah, I know that everyone wants to read a new chapter as soon as possible, but give us some time...please.**

 **For now goodbye.**


	13. Rivals

**Guess who is it?**

 **June 12, 2018 Berlin.**

Despite the seeming ease that the rest of the world (even those parts that were already under Britannian occupation) perceived the taking of Berlin as, the reality of it was something else. While it wouldn't be told for several years, the siege of the German capital actually began three days earlier when the three sky fleets all converged on the city together - Lady Cinder Fall's from the north, His Majesty's from the south, and the remaining Knights of the Rounds' from the west. Numerically speaking they'd had the advantage, technology-wise as well.

Yet this time the Euros had fought with a fervor never seen before, undoubtedly they'd always fought ferociously to keep every last scrap of land they could but in Berlin it had been as if to give even a speck of dirt to the enemy would be up there with high treason. Their Alexander units were used much more skillfully than before, making use of the tall buildings to give them an advantage against the older models and hiding away when the Vincents and Gareths came in to join the fray, resorting to hit and run tactics.

For two days this went on, with the Britannian side for once losing more than the Europeans thanks to their clever tactics. On the third day though, it appeared that His Majesty had had enough as he then commanded the Knights of the Round to join him on the battlefield. Their arrival spoke the end of the EU's hold out, with the Emperor himself and his guard leading the charge and the Rounds shadowing them it was the perfect morale boost that their side had needed. And then when His Majesty had opened the battle with his machine's monstrous beam weapon even building didn't stand in their way to finish the occupation.

For Arthur Calhoun that had been the proudest moment of his life, to fight alongside his Emperor had been the highest honour he could have asked for whereas before all he had done was stand by and watch. It was glorious.

Now in the aftermath of their latest conquest, he watched from their newly acquired Reichstag building as their medical teams rushed from one patient to another, working to save as many lives regardless of their alignment. This was what he'd fought for, what his friends had bled for...what Cap and the others had died for. Slowly, but surely, their world was becoming united.

There were only two downsides to the whole thing: First, the leaders of the EU hadn't been present when they arrived, something that just turned him the wrong way on principle; Second, there had been no sign of those blue Alexanders, meaning Wyvern Squad hadn't played a part in the battle either. Such issues left him feeling unfinished and thus he spent even more time on the battlefield than Lord Thomson (who was fucking terrifying), cutting down every last Panzer and Alexander he could get his hands on until the Reaper's energy filler ran dry.

He even protested that he should still be out there with the soldiers in case anything underhanded went down...but then Lord William Bishop had told him firmly and sharply that he was a Knight of the Round now, he didn't act without His Majesty's approval and His Majesty had ordered him to remain here. Such a statement had silenced any further arguments on the matter, which led him to where he was now, pacing around the entrance hall of the Reichstag impatiently whilst the other Rounds sat down in chairs, looking far more relaxed.

That in itself opened up a new issue: How the hell was he supposed to talk to these people?! He was just a grunt who the Emperor liked and decided he would make a good pilot for the Reaper. Compared to Lord Bishop, the personification of a warrior and knighthood, he was nothing. He'd fought in more campaigns, done his duty at the expense of his freedom, and given more in service to His Majesty than Arthur could ever hope to achieve. Just standing in his presence made him feel small and inadequate.

Then there was the Knight of Two, Lady Cinder Fall. With her he'd actually managed to exchange a few words every now and then and oft times she did so with a small and a teasing lilt that had him blushing. However her behaviour when His Majesty was present upped it to eleven: When he walked into a room, Lady Fall's expression became almost carnal, her eyes never once leaving him, one could almost feel her lust rolling off of her. He'd thought to ask about it, but His Majesty's personal aid Alfred had warned against it, saying that the last person to do so was almost stomped to death by the Amber.

And if that wasn't scary enough there was the final Round who was currently picking at his fingernails with a knife. As earlier stated, Peter Thomson outright terrified Arthur - partially because of his appearance, but mostly because of the sheer insanity he'd played witness to yesterday; they had been charged with pacifying the eastern sector of Berlin together. Apparently 'pacify' in Thomson's mind translated as 'murder everything that isn't flying Britannian colours and leave nothing to bury.' By the time they were finished, there was hardly an eastern sector left. Unfortunately, because the other Rounds were currently busy with other matters, the two of them were stuck together.

His roaming eyes stopped as Thomson let out a snarled curse, followed by him tossing the knife away carelessly. The blade had caught the sensitive skin beneath his thumbnail and now the large digit was bleeding red. His snarky mutterings about the Germans and how they couldn't do anything small scale brought Arthur to a stop in his pacing as he saw the bloodlust in his fellow Round's eye start to rise, and suddenly all manner of carnage assaulted his mind. If such a small thing could set him off, it was probably best to head him off at the curve now.

"Soooo..." He drew out the word for as long as he could, partially to get the man's attention but also so he could think of something remotely interesting. That didn't help though and so he blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "I heard you and Lord Bishop were in prison together."

His barely legible statement succeeded in attracting Thomson's attention alright, but now that single blue eye was staring at him, and suddenly Arthur wondered if that really was a good subject to bring up. _Shit, what if that's touchy with him? What if he thinks that I think he's an up-jumped criminal? What if he's like Bradley?_ Wonderful considerations that had come too bloody late.

For another moment the Knight of Three remained quiet, before grunting. "Yeah, what of it?"

 _Please don't kill me. Please don't kill me. Please don't kill me._

"Well..." Arthur started, his survival instinct seemingly having gone on holiday as he pressed on, choosing his words as carefully as he dared. "I just wondered what it was like. How did you survive in a place like that?"

The eyebrow of Thomson's remaining eye rose slightly before the man uncrossed his legs and pulled out of his slouched position before standing up, all of this without a word...and suddenly Arthur realised just how big this man was. No quite as tall as Lord Bishop but pretty damn close, it made for a terrifying sight especially when the giant leaned down to look him in the eye.

"And what does a little soldier like you wanna know about hellholes like that?" He asked slowly, enunciated every syllable with a touch of ice in each word, his teeth on display for every sound.

 _I'm dead._ Was the only thought Arthur had left as he tried to stutter out a reply that wouldn't result in his only remains being a smear on the wall.

But then the scowl on Thomson's face vanished and he beamed madly at him. "Yeah, me and Willy got ourselves chucked in old Chuck's hell hole!" He said laughingly, before swinging a large arm over Arthur's shoulder and yelling in his ear, "Ten fucking years we were in there before the kid got us out!"

If it weren't for the fact that he was a bit disgusted with having another man's spittle down his earhole - and a little bit deaf after that drunken roar - Arthur might have been angry at the man's continual naming of His Majesty as 'the kid.' But then he'd recalled earlier today when he'd tried to get on Thomson's case about it only for the Knight of Three to wave him off and Lord Bishop to advise against trying it again.

 _No problems there._ He thought to himself as Thomson let out another hearty laugh and began to tug him along, a bottle of beer having suddenly appeared in his hand which he then took a long swig out of. A moment later the giant let out a loud happy gasp before grinning down at his captive. "Ah! Those were good days! 'Specially when a new guy came in! It was like Shawshank! You've seen Shawshank right?"

"Er… no." What else could he say? But the look of disbelief Thomson gave him had Arthur's already anxious nerves another kick.

"You've never seen _The Shawshank Redemption?!_ " His large captor demanded, before shaking his head and dragging him off towards one of the waiting rooms. "Honestly, kids these days! No appreciation for the classics!"

With that the two very different men sat down (more like 'forced' in Arthur's case) and thus began a rather… unique friendship. For all that he was sure he'd made a terrible mistake opening his mouth, by the halfway point of watching the famous movie Arthur had to admit one thing: if the beginning of it and what happened to Tim Robbins' character was anything like what happened to Peter Thomson he still willingly fought for Britannia, then he would never doubt the man's loyalty again.

* * *

Today, Cinder decided as she made her leisurely way through the Reichstag, was a very good day. They'd taken the city, which meant that their campaign in Germany had also come to and end, and if the reports were correct Italy had also fallen taking a good portion of the leading officers in the EU's army with them. Half of their goal had been met in just under two weeks and for that alone she was happy. Even better was the list of civilian casualties on the EU's part when Lelouch had finally gotten bored and joined the battle himself, by some miracle the number of dead civvies was comparatively small when compared to the devastation of their military.

But what really topped off her day was the Emperor's speech which had once again been done in a way to destroy the Europeans' credibility. Add on the little tidbit that the northern countries had joined Britannia willingly and, well, you didn't have to be a genius to see which way the wind was blowing.

Therefore Cinder was making her way to the Chancellor's Office that Lelouch had claimed for himself so they might speak further on what to do with the eastern nations that had yet to surrender.

 _It shouldn't take too much._ She expected. _They've never liked the central powers that much anyway and won't appreciate taking orders from someone who wasn't born on their soil. A simple divide and conquer oughta do it. Not that those two'll ever admit it._

Honestly the amount of thinking she was sure Lelouch and Bishop were putting into this was more than what was required in her opinion, but the man liked to be prepared for anything and Bishop had an almost unhealthy obsession in seeing that he kept breathing.

Those were the exact words she intended to tell them both once she joined them, all on the tip of her tongue when she spied the telltale garb of the Scarlet Guard ahead, and she was just about to kick the door open without announcement when the double doors opened themselves and Lelouch's aid, Alfred, stepped out and closed them behind him.

"Ah! Lady Fall!" He greeted her amiably, a pleasant smile in place. "I was hoping I'd run into you."

"Hi Al." She returned, smiling back. Honestly, Cinder liked the aging man. He held a look of experience about himself that betrayed a life of bloody service. Even in attire that made him look more of a butler she could still feel the presence before her: Once upon a time this man had been a killer.

 _No wonder Lelouch keeps him around,_ she considered to herself, _he seems to enjoy surrounding himself with people who could kill him if we all weren't so loyal._

Speaking of whom, she still needed to calm down that overthinking mind of his and so she made to excuse herself. "I'm sorry, I can't stay to chat. Lelouch wanted to see me."

The aging man nodded, arms folded behind his back, as if he'd expected as much for her to say. "Of course, my Lady, I wouldn't dream to delay you. However, I believe this discussion cannot wait, it is of paramount importance that we talk now."

Though he said it gently enough, there was an underlying level of severity that caused her to frown. Surely if it were so important the issue ought to be brought up with Lelouch himself, why was he coming to her? Now slightly worried, Cinder allowed him to lead her aside, out of the way of the ears of the Scarlet Guard.

Only when they were sufficient distance away did she shake Alfred's hand off her back. "All right, what's this about?" She asked, keeping her suspicious tone level. "Is there something wrong with Lelouch?"

"Potentially." The old man allowed before fixing her with a steely gaze. "Tell me, young lady; what do you feel for our Emperor?"

That...was a very curious question, one that had her own eyes narrowing just the slightest bit at. _What does he want me to say? Does he want me to say anything?_ The warning of a test before her was rising in Cinder's veins, yet she couldn't help feeling somewhat upset that such a thing was happening. _I thought we were passed this...but if Lelouch wants to play this game, then I'll win it._ So deciding, she gave him the stock answer all 'loyal' soldiers gave when asked. "Lelouch is our leader and guide. It is my honour to serve him."

"And I am sure he appreciates that," Alfred agreed, nodding lightly, though his expression didn't lighten by any means. "But you didn't answer my question, young lady. What do you feel for our Emperor?"

 _So not looking for the usual B.S. then._ Knowing that actually put some of her worries to rest, it told her this line of questioning didn't come from Lelouch himself...which just led her to wonder what sort of answer Alfred was looking for. Deciding to test the waters a bit, she went for her next form of answer which was peppered at least with a little bit of truth.

"I admit, I am very grateful to him." Cinder told him, which she honestly could say she was. "If it wasn't for him, I would still be in the academy struggling to gain the attention of a patron. But now here I stand in the presence of the most powerful warriors our empire commands...all thanks to our Emperor."

She left out, of course, the fact that she was now beyond the power of those so-called 'nobles' who had ruined her family and murdered her mother. As the Knight of Two there was only one who she answered to, a position that, had the aristocracy been left intact, they'd be scrambling to take away from her.

And yet that still didn't seem to be enough for Alfred who, even though he had somewhat lightened up, still peered intently into her eyes, "Is that truly all, my Lady?"

Now she was getting frustrated, though she hid it behind as calm a mask as she answered yet again. "I will admit it has been a great honour to be trusted with so many of his secrets. It feels… good to know he has such faith in me."

And still that didn't seem to be what Alfred was driving at as, even though he nodded, he stated yet again, "I'm sure that is part of the answer, my Lady, but is that all there is?" This time however, before she could respond that yes, that was all there was (regardless of how much she wished for more), he continued. "Because I don't believe that is the case: I believe you feel something deeper than mere friendship or affection for our Emperor, and that you are giving me all these roundabout answers to prevent yourself from admitting it in some ill-conceived belief that I would disapprove."

His hitting the nail on the head like that almost tripped her, though Cinder did just manage to hold on save for a twitching eye muscle. But it was his continued onslaught of his accurate theory that finally pushed her to the brink.

"So what if I am?!" She shouted, unconcerned with the looks she got from the distant Scarlet Guard. "So what if I love him?! So what if I lie awake at night begging for his touch?! So what if when I sleep I dream of him being with me, holding me, loving me…" her cheeks blushed red as her voice dropped to a whisper "making love to me."

But then the blush was gone and she glared up at the impassive butler before her. "What does it matter at all? He already has C.C.!"

And damn if that admittance was bringing tears to her eyes, forcing her to duck her face down angrily. _I will not cry, dammit! I haven't cried since Mom died and I sure as hell won't now!_ What good would tears do her now anyway? They wouldn't get her Lelouch. He'd been taken before they'd ever met - hell she'd seen his mistress on TV a number of times before the Day of Knights - and, short of an assassination attempt (something she would never try after what it did to her and again what it had done to him), that wasn't going to change. So what was the point of crying over it?!

 _All I can do is fight for him._ Cinder had determined that when she'd first realized what she was feeling. _I'll fight for his dream, kill for his dream, I'll do whatever he wants of me… shit._ She cut off as a single stubborn tear fought its way free and trickled down her cheek. _So why isn't that enough anymore?!_

Damn this old man for asking her these things. The only thing she could do was look up and glare at him now waiting for his order to continue her silence in that goddamn neutral-pleasant tone of his. But instead of a blank slate on his face, Cinder saw that Alfred was smiling widely.

"It is as I suspected then." He said pleasantly, "But you are aware that His Majesty has claimed a second bride, yes?"

 _He has?_ That admission sent her heart soaring, maybe there really was hope for her after all! But then practicality came stomping in a crushed it under a thick heel. _That doesn't mean he'll just take anyone. He probably doesn't even need another hanger on._

Her changing facial expressions were observed by Alfred for a few seconds before he hummed to himself and continued. "I see that it is news to you then." He stated… sounding actually somewhat annoyed at that, before shrugging and carrying on. "Well, as you are now aware, the Emperor has enacted the Royal Prerogative of Continuation. The Empire must have an heir. As such he will need to marry."

 _And he already has his choices settled._ Cinder thought to herself bitterly. _One to ensure an heir and another to produce a spare, is that what you wanted to tell me Alfred, 'cos I could've figured that out myself!_

If he noticed her miserable expression Alfred didn't comment as he went on to say. "I have therefore been working with him to find a suitable number of brides - enough to ensure a new generation but not so many that parallels can be drawn with Charles zi Britannia. I thought you might like to know, my Lady, that of the names we have compiled together, one stands in high priority." And now his pleasant smile switched to one of slight mirth. "One that goes by the name of 'Blackwood.' Are you familiar with anyone by that handle?"

All thoughts ground to a halt at that name save for shock as Cinder's gaze shot up to stare at him again. She couldn't have heard that correctly, could she? Because if she had then…

Before she could question further, Alfred let out a little chuckle and started walking back the way they came towards Lelouch's office. Although as he did, he threw over his shoulder "If you remember who that name belongs to do tell me, my Lady. The Empire is a big place and, what with the recent reshuffle of power, noble names just don't stand out the way they used to."

She couldn't have responded to his glib exit if she'd tried, her mind abuzz at what she'd just been told. And then when she finally did accept that this hadn't been some truly cruel dream, Cinder started to wonder other things, namely why was it Alfred telling her this and not Lel… _Oooohhh._ It suddenly clicked why Lelouch hadn't said anything.

 _That son of a bitch._ He was going to keep it quiet and make her figure out his plans for them herself wasn't he? As this realisation settled in, a small laugh escaped her lips as Cinder's trademark smirk settled itself back into place. _So he wants to play, does he? Too bad he didn't count on his butler double-crossing him._

Now she knew. And now, Cinder Fall could play too.

* * *

"With the fall of Germany, along with Lady C.C. and Sir Gottwald's push into Italy, the entirety of western and central Europe are now ours." Bishop concluded the summary of their most recent successes, tapping on the digital map before him and Lelouch, turning the whole of Germany and most of Italy blue.

"It's a fine start, William." Lelouch agreed, stopping momentarily when the doors of the Chancellor's office were kicked open, allowing Cinder to join them… and quite frankly he admitted to being somewhat unnerved by that smile she was wearing along with the way she strutted up to him, swaying her hips at him even more than she usually did. It was her little bow that did it, just deep enough that he got an idea of what was hiding underneath that formal Rounds uniform before straightening back up again and winking at him flirtatiously.

 _She knows._ Which meant she must have been told. _Dammit Alfred!_

Mentally sighing he just openly rolled his eyes before smiling back at her before returning his attention to the map, Cinder slinking right up to his side as he did so.

"We mustn't allow victory to get to us though." He continued where he'd left off, scrolling the map up north to the Scandinavian territories. "Norway and Sweden may have joined us but Finland is still resisting. We should expect any number of brush fires up there in the coming days."

"Then please allow me to extinguish such fires, Sire." Bishop, rather predictably, spoke up, "Even with the willing assimilation of Sweden I doubt they would take up arms against their neighbour and longtime ally simply at our say so. We may be facing opposition on both sides of the line this time."

"A possibility." Lelouch conceded with a frown. "But bear in mind, Wiliam, they had their own reasons for leaving the EU beyond just our involvement." The truth was Sweden's economy had taken a devastating hit from the war, their factories supplying only Panzer-Hummels to the European cause. The more they fought, the more machines they lost, especially in the face of the newer Alexanders. As such the factories simply weren't turning over a profit anymore and people were tiring of the wasted resources. "Many people blame the EU government for this war and how it has driven them away from the normalcy of everyday life."

"And then in comes Britannia, promising a return to normal service whilst everyone else promotes war." Cinder chimed in, "Three guesses who the people are gonna side with in that situation. I'd worry more about Finland." She scrolled the map a bit to the right and then expanded it so that only the neighbouring country inhabited the screen.

"If they attack first, they'll roll over Sweden and perhaps even Norway, establishing a cushy little empire for themselves in Scandinavia." She snorted a little at the prospect. "Not sure why anyone would want that, but then I've never understood those vikings anyway." Shrugging, she shook her head and addressed Lelouch again, "Anyway, point is if these guys want to be a part of us they're going to have to be ready to fight, regardless if the guys they're shooting used to be old friends."

"Agreed." Lelouch stated before reaching out and zooming the screen back out somewhat. "Therefore we will strike first. Bishop." He turned to his Knight of One. "You and Thomson are to take the Third and Fourth Fleet and strike Poland."

Dragging the map down again he then began to draw several arrows on the map, a somewhat crude method of visualising troop deployments but it served his purpose. "Once that is done you two are to split up and hit these four." He drew a circle around Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia and then divided that circle in two. "Thomson will assault Belarus while you, Bishop, push north and conquer the other three."

"Meanwhile, Arthur will simultaneously head south into Austria after which he and Jeremiah will meet up here, at the Slovenian border." he drew a circle around the small country squashed between Austria, Italy and Croatia. "They will then proceed onward south-east until there is no more land to take."

"A bold plan, Your Majesty." Bishop allowed before giving him a courteous bow. "I will set off at once and collect Peter. He'll be getting agitated by now."

"I think he dragged Arthur into the waiting lounge." Cinder told him, a level of amusement in her tone as she did so. "Better go rescue the poor kid before your friend convinces him our Emperor hired a psychopath."

 _Not to far off the mark really._ Lelouch admitted to himself, snorting in amusement in time with Bishop's own before he gave his fellow Round a nod of thanks and then departed from the office… maybe walking a bit faster than usual. Once he was gone Lelouch returned his attention to the map, a small cruel grin forming as he slowly turned each country he'd set up for conquest from red to blue. "I wouldn't want to be Finland in a couple of days' time."

"Hmm." Cinder purred her agreement, leaning beside him with a small smile of her own. "And what about me, Lelouch?" She whispered in his ear, breathing on it as she did so "What poor unfortunate land would you have me lay waste to? Do I get Denmark, or maybe the Ukraine? Russia or Turkey? Kazahkstan maybe? Give me a name, and watch as I set it on fire in yours."

 _Hel's name, it shouldn't be possible for the talk of war to be so arousing!_ And yet Lelouch could feel himself hardening at the sultry voice of his latest fiancee as she wrapped an arm around him and pawed lightly at his chest. _If we didn't have work to do and time was not so much of the essence…_

Unfortunately they did have work to do, and so reluctantly he called upon his self control and gingerly removed her tempting limbs from his person. "You, my sadistic seductress, have the pleasure of striking the hammer blow to Finland itself."

The mild pout that had adorned his Knight of Two's face suddenly evaporated, giving way to sadistic glee that quite frankly if he wasn't immune to such looks would have had Lelouch concerned. As it was though all it did was remind him of the other bit of news he had to give her. _She's either going to accept this grudgingly or strangle me with my own shawl. Ah well, damned either way._

Deciding he ought to just get it over with he went on to tell her. "You will be accompanied by my sister, Marybell and her Glinda Knights."

And like that the smile dropped away and the flames of bloody excitement went out in Cinder's eyes, only to be relit a second later by a far more worrying emotion that had Lelouch questioning his sanity in putting them together: the fire of hatred. Not for Marry, but for one knight in particular who had risen to prominence in the Glinda Knights.

 _Well I'm not dead so I might as well try to smooth this over._

"Cinder, I know you have… reservations about the Zevon family-"

"If by 'reservations'" She interrupted him coldly, glaring at him, "you mean I want to beat every member of that despicable family to death and then string up their corpses with their own intestines, then yes I do."

"But" he pressed on, ignoring her sharp look "please bear in mind that Oldrin Zevon is an ally and close friend of my sister's."

"So I should forget?" Cinder snapped, pushing away from him, her gaze not once leaving his own as she spoke. "I should just let bygones be bygones, let the family that destroyed mine go unpunished? I thought the opposite was the basis of our agreement."

Lelouch didn't want to think about how lessening their growing relationship to a mere agreement upset him but there it was. Nevertheless he needed her to see things his way if this was going to work and so he pushed on. "Cinder, we both know that Oiaguro Zevon is the man whose blood you want spilled-"

"And what better way of getting his attention than killing his niece?" She shot right back unflinching.

"Considering he killed his own sister to get his position in Pluton," He fired back, making a point to keep his tone level, "I doubt that'd work."

"So what will?" She demanded, her frustration coming out in full. Not that Lelouch could blame her, they'd had this argument more than once since D.S. revealed Wizard's true identity. "How long do I have to wait before my mother is given justice?! What hoops do I have to jump through to get him?! Why can't you just let me have him?!"

All good questions that he had to answer. Lelouch could say that it was because they didn't know where he was, or that he was so far behind enemy lines it'd be suicide even for a Round to go in after him. He could even point out she was of greater value here than getting justice, but the truth circled back to the fact that her life was too familiar to him. How many years had he wasted away plotting vengeance for Marianne? How much time had he lost on that? Too much was the answer, it would be the same with Cinder if he couldn't convince her to wait. If she didn't she'd waste her life away on it and eventually come to hate herself and the world at large for her perceived failure.

But he said none of this. Instead he simply repeated, "Attacking Oldrin will not bring Oiaguro out."

That just set her off again "For god's sake, Lelouch!" Cinder yelled at him. "I was a child!"

"And so was she." It was a gamble to point out the age similarity, but for a moment Lelouch spotted a crack in his knight's furious armour. Seeing his chance he latched on to that one basic fact and pushed on it. "She was the same age we were when Oiaguro killed his sister - her mother - and her twin brother disappeared. She has as much reason to hate him as you do." There it was, he could suddenly see it, the small sliver of consideration behind the anger, even if she was completely taut Cinder was thinking about it and that was all he needed. "You want to get Oiaguro? Oldrin might be your best bet, but you have to work with her first."

That was it, he had her. Cinder was silent, even if she was still glaring furiously at him for such a suggestion, that strategist's mind of hers was going over the possibilities of using Oldrin in another method than a bloody corpse to draw out Wizard. Not quite the angle he was going for but if he could convince Cinder that Oldrin Zevon was at least an asset to use in her revenge then maybe he wouldn't get more than two angry calls from Marry once she was dispatched. Seeing the doubt start to creep in again, Lelouch went for the final trick in his arsenal.

"Tell me Cinder, is it truly right for us to blame the actions of another on their kin? Should I be held accountable for Charles zi Britannia?"

And there it was, his question had Cinder's glare finally break into a sharp denial, the words there on her lips waiting to be spoken even as another part of her still warred with the decision not to string Oldrin up. But, then she screwed up her face as if saying what she was about to say truly disgusted her and let out a defeated sigh.

"No." It was one word but it held all that Lelouch needed to hear to know that he'd convinced her. As such she let out another deep breath and folded her arms before nodding at him resignedly. "Fine, I'll work with Oldrin…" and then finally she gave him a small dry smile, "do I have to like her?"

Such a… _Cinder_ response had him chuckling at last and like that, the tension that had started to engulf the office vanished. Further discussion about the Zevons was dropped after that and the two strategists got on with refining the next offensive with their normal level of companionable banter and dry wit. And if Cinder just so happened to slip in front of Lelouch and rub herself against his chest he certainly didn't make any mention of it. Nor did she make any note of whether or not he took to resting his hands on her hips, stroking them with his thumbs suggestively.

After some time they were at last interrupted by the return of Bishop looking both parts distressed and amused. When they enquired over it he simply replied, "I stumbled across Peter watching _Shawshank_ with Arthur. That's the first time in eight years I've walked in on him and he's been watching something other than Adventure Time or Two Girls One Cup."

"Aww," Cinder cooed, giggling at the perplexed giant, "sounds like Pete found himself a new little playmate."

"I hope not." Bishop replied, "The last one tried to insert a sink in him after the end of the first week. It… didn't end well." He finished with a grimace.

"For Thomson, the friend, or the sink?" Lelouch asked, curious despite himself.

Bishop himself looked surprised at the Emperor's interest but got over it quickly enough and replied with a concise, deadbeat "Yes."

 _Huh._ That almost sounded interesting enough to take it to the source, it'd make a funny story to tell the grandkids one day at any rate… _Wait a minute, what am I thinking?_

Shaking off his off moment, Lelouch cleared his throat before (much to their mutual displeasure) he pulled away from Cinder and put a couple of feet between them. "Anyway, I presume you informed him of the new offensive?"

At his question, Bishop also wiped away all thoughts of mirth and stood straight. "Yes, Sire, Lord Thomson is ready to depart on your order. I have also sent a runner to gather the crews of the Third and the Fourth, we shall be ready to depart at daybreak."

A disappointed sigh at his side announced Cinder's own departure. "I suppose that means I'll have to get going too. I know how punctual you like things to be."

On her way out though she paused and then beckoned to Bishop, causing him to lean down so she could ask him something. It was whispered however and so Lelouch could only guess what it was she was saying to him… but if that teasing smirk she sent his way was anything to go by he could easily narrow it down to something that was going to be downright humiliating for him.

He was proved right when Cinder patted Bishop on the shoulder and went on her way. For a moment the large man just held his frozen position, a look of utter wonder on his face, before slowly turning to face Lelouch with that same look. And then suddenly he burst into tears.

"William!" Lelouch uttered, completely caught off guard by his First Knight's sudden mood swing. "Are you alright? What's wrong?" What the hell had Cinder said to him that would cause this sort of reaction from Bishop?

"Majesty!" The man in question, quite literally, cried, turning watery eyes on his liege again. "Is this a falsehood? Are you truly engaged?"

Wait, that was it? She'd just told him that? Put on the spot, Lelouch found himself unable of saying anything other than stumbling over his words. "Well, um… not quite - that is to say there are plans for-"

"And to two young women?" Bishop pressed, breaking off a sob.

"...Yes?" Gods Lelouch hated it when he couldn't talk properly but who could blame him? A giant, deadly knight who killed people for a living was not expected to cry quite this much. "Is there something wrong with that, William? Do you disapprove or-?"

He didn't finish however as the next second he found himself in a massive bear hug that threatened to squeeze the breath out of him as Bishop lifted him off of his feet, still crying all the way as he did so.

"Wrong with it?!" The Knight of One proclaimed it as if such a thought was blasphemy. "Majesty I am overjoyed! To think I would live to see the day the Lady Marianne's son would marry not one but two lucky young women!"

"Well…" Lelouch managed to squeak out as his lungs fought for air, "I think Cinder's in there now too…"

Not the correct thing to say it would seem as Bishop's tears just increased along with the tightness of his embrace on his young master. "Three?! Oh even more joy to spread! How much happier can you make me Sire?"

 _Not much if you don't put me down!_ Seriously, if he could see himself in a mirror Lelouch suspected he'd see that his face had gone purple. Whether or not Bishop got the message though, the hug finally ended and the young emperor took a moment to get his breath back, not that the large man seemed to realise as he continued to cry loudly with the office doors for anyone to see.

And once he was finally capable of normal respiratory functions, Lelouch looked up at the open doors and spied a very mischievously grinning young woman of whom he'd just outed his plans to marry somewhere down the line. Before he could call out to her or yell anything between humiliation or obscenity, she merely gave him a wink and blew him a kiss before sauntering off down the corridors of the Reichstag. And yes, he did see her put that sway in her hips whilst she was at it.

It was at that point that a horrifying thought crossed his mind before Lelouch slouched down into the office armchair, doing his best to drown out Bishop's continuing wails. _Three of them. How is that possible?_

What was it with him and women who loved to tease, distract, humiliate and otherwise emasculate the male gender?

A ray of hope unveiled itself though as they were then interrupted by Alfred entering the office, completely undeterred by Bishop's loud joyful sobs. Part of Lelouch felt like running him the riot act about giving Cinder this sort of ammunition on him but Lelouch desperately wanted to get out of this position and so he quickly asked, raising his voice slightly, "Yes, is there something you needed, Alfred?"

The aging man bowed politely before telling him, "Forgive the intrusion, sir, but the dignitaries from Norway and Sweden have just arrived."

Already? That was rather quick, but if it got him out of this situation Lelouch wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Hopping out of his chair, he made his way around the Chancellor's desk and grabbed his shawl and hat, narrowly evading Bishop's attempt to embrace him again. "That's good news indeed, how about I go and meet them in person?"

"Very good sir." His butler replied easily enough and proceeded to escort him out of the Chancellor's office which Lelouch immediately ordered shut by his guard until such a time as Lord Bishop got a hold of himself. Bad enough that his attitude had gotten odd looks from his own troops, it would be that much worse if the foreign politicians saw the state of the supposedly unshakable Knight of One.

In his hurry, though, Lelouch almost missed Alfred's additional information. "It might interest you to know, sir, they brought along a gift as a token of good faith."

"No trouble at all, Alfred." He replied hurriedly, not entirely paying attention to his words, "I'll be sure to accept whatever it is they've brought with them with all the grace and humility expected of the nation's leader."

After all, it couldn't be that bad could it? Couldn't be more embarrassing than the scene he'd just left after all.

* * *

 **Brazil.**

If Schneizal could have said it, he would have expressed his pride in just how well Lelouch was doing. In less than a month he'd wiped out the main powers of the EU remnant, countries that had dogged their nation over centuries. It would seem all those chess games they'd played together years ago had borne greater fruit than even he could have dreamed. At the very least Lelouch had proved himself a masterful leader, on the battlefield and off, manipulating the masses with the media and propaganda.

He'd certainly learned from the sound defeat he'd been handed all that time ago on the Ikaruga, that was for sure. _But for all that Lelouch, I still hold one advantage._ Schneizal considered with a small smile as he twirled his favoured white king piece in his fingers, _I've been in this game much longer than you. You have to adapt as you go along while I can remain hidden thanks to years of preparation for this exact scenario._ Granted he'd been expecting to be hiding from his father rather than his brother but these small things could be worked around.

Anyway, that was enough daydreaming and as such he tuned back in just as General Schwarzer finished his report on the situation in the EU. Frankly nothing that he'd been told was anything he hadn't been expecting, this was all his design after all. Still, it looked bad if a perceived leader appeared ignorant before his peers and as such he donned the familiar mask of charisma and opened his eyes to the screen that Schwarzer was speaking on.

"I see." He replied smoothly, "Is there anything else general?"

"Not much to go on other than that masked bastard Wizard has given the specs of the Agravain's Hadron weaponry over to the Euros." Schwarzer stated with an angry bristle. It was hardly a secret that he and Wizard didn't get on but this latest setback for the EU had pushed it right over the edge. "Give them long enough and they'll be spraying red death at everything as well."

 _As was predicted._ Was all that went through Schneizal's mind at that bit of news. With them on the defensive, the Europeans would turn to any and every trick they could think of to delay their final defeat. It might buy them some time, a day or two maybe, but the fact remained they'd been doomed from the very outset. A regrettable sacrifice, but worth it so long as Damocles was completed.

"Very well then." He said at present. "That will be all for now."

"Of course, but Your Highness." Schwarzer called out to him before they could cut the transmission, "Is it not too reckless for the last true prince and princess of Britannia to side with the enemy?" This again? Every time they talked it seemed the general came back to this topic. And any moment he would say it, "Maybe it would be safer if I joined you at your location. At the very least I could provide logistical aid, the very most my most loyal soldiers will stand as your personal guard. Just tell me where you are and I can-"

"Thank you, general," Schneizal cut in firmly but calmly, "but your concerns are unwarranted. I assure you my location is safe enough. Besides I'd feel rather guilty if I forced Britannia's last true general to hide back here with me."

That was one reason, though the others were the ones that were truly keeping him from giving the general admittance. For now though his suspicions could wait until a later date, after all he had a present of his own to give him. "In the meantime, it has become clear to me that the frontlines of the EU need further bolstering -" he paused as Schwarzer muttered that that was the least the Europeans needed before continuing, "therefore I've given orders to my Knights to join you."

The amazement on the general's face at such an offer almost made him feel guilty of suspecting foul play from the man. However, he'd also once believed his gentle brother Lelouch couldn't possibly have murdered Clovis or Euphie and look how that ended up. Relieved, the general nodded on the screen, "Their presence would be more than welcome, Highness. With their aid we'll finally bring down this usurper."

 _Doubtful._ Schneizal privately thought to himself, especially after he'd heard what Lelouch's own Rounds had achieved in such a short amount of time. At the very least his Knights would add to the aforementioned delaying action, though their chances of re-usability were considerably higher than the other soldiers currently in Europe. Naturally, he said none of this and simply nodded at Kanon to cut the connection.

That done he called out to the corridor where the three Knights he'd selected were waiting. As one they filed in and went down on one knee before him. "No doubt you heard all of that so I won't waste our time by rehashing it." The three before him merely nodded. Satisfied, Schneizal continued, "Very well then, the transports will be ready to take you to Europe in a few days. Your mission is simple: Defeat Lelouch vi Britannia and bring his madness to an end."

"Yes, Your Highness." His three Knights intoned.

One of them, Gino Weinburg, asked, "Highness, if I might ask, where exactly are we being stationed?"

"St Petersburg." He answered easily enough, "General Schwarzer has his base of operations there." For a moment he allowed his face to lose some of its charm, adopting a saddened visage… which held a charm all of its own. "I don't think I have to tell you that this must remain quiet. The last thing we need is Lelouch learning of our plans."

At the utterance of his brother's name he observed the faces of the three before him shift in very different ways. Nonette Enneagram, formerly the Knight of Nine, let out a deep sigh that spoke volumes of her lack of commitment. Much like Cornelia she too had been a grand admirer of Marianne the Flash; unlike his sister however, she had been kept in the dark of the other identity of her idol's son. The result was clear doubt over the possibility that Lelouch could truly be an enemy.

Gino just frowned at his words, neither a commitment nor a refusal to be read from it. Quite frankly his presence was a surprise to Schneizal after he had quite openly declared that he would have his father, then the current Emperor of Britannia, assassinated to make way for himself. For a man who was clearly more loyal to Britannia than the people who ran it, Schneizal had to wonder what it was that had brought Gino to his side and not his brother's.

The third one (and in his opinion the one most likely to succeed in this endeavour) reacted in a way that was almost too obvious by now. But then, he'd spent quite some time in the presence of Suzaku Kururugi over the last year since his ascension to Knight of Seven. The dark scowl, the barely restrained rage, mixed in with the deep sense of betrayal he felt any time Lelouch was mentioned, it was almost laughable how easy it was to read him… and how to manipulate him. _But then,_ Schneizal considered, _I suppose you knew that too, didn't you Lelouch?_

Speaking of Suzaku, the young man raised his head from his knelt position in askance, "Highness, what about my Knightmare?"

"I'm sorry, Sir Kururugi, but the truth is we simply don't have the expertise required to construct this kind of machine." That wasn't necessarily true, many of Lloyd's upgrades had become standard practise these days and Cecile Croomy's Energy Wing system could be grasped, but in reality Schneizal was loath to give the Japanese boy such a powerful weapon after his repeated record of… questionable decisions. As such he'd made a point to hold onto the designs and had his scientists modify them to something a little more… controllable.

As such he told the slightly crestfallen knight, "Have no fear though, R&D have put together something I'm quite sure will live up to your skills. They should be putting the finishing touches to it as we speak. Now, unless there's anything else?" He was met with firm silence by the three Knights. "Very good, then be sure to get some rest, for now we enter the game."

As one the Knights bowed again and then stood, leaving him to his deliberations.

 _Now then, Lelouch, in this chaotic world you've created what will your response be to these new players?_

* * *

The three former Rounds chosen for Prince Schneizal's mission stepped out into the corridor and for a moment they just looked at each other in silence. All of them were aware of what they would be heading into soon and just what sort of odds they were facing. Of the three of them only Suzaku really had an idea of what they'd be walking into, Gino too but the Prince had ordered that the truth about Zero be kept quiet for now. And with the way he'd quickly rolled up the map of Western Europe, Suzaku had to admit that it looked like his old friend had only gotten better at spreading his unique brand of chaos throughout the world.

 _He still doesn't get it, does he?_ He thought to himself bitterly as another scowl found its way to his face. _Conquering nations, destroying cities, annexing the unresistant…_ And even worse the majority of the empire loved him for it, unable to see through the fact that he'd taken greater liberties over the people than Emperor Charles ever had. _How can they not see what he's doing?_

"Oooh, that's a scary look you got there Suzu." His ruminations were broken by the former Knight of Nine as she leaned down to peer at him with that trademark leer of hers. "It almost looks like an emotion just bloomed on that pretty little mug of yours."

Her words told him all he needed to know and Suzaku quickly flattened out his expression again before anyone could ask questions, resulting in the buxom woman pouting at him. "Aw c'mon, Suzu, you need to smile at least once a day. I mean look at you, you're a complete grouch."

"We'll smile again when there's something to smile about." Came the uncharacteristically cold response from Gino which had both knights turning to look at him in surprise. Something had been off about him ever since Britannia assaulted Belgium, though no one had thought to ask him about it at the time.

The weirdness of such serious attitude from the blonde wore off quickly for Nonnette though as she turned her focus back to Suzaku with a mock glare. "See what you've done now!" She scolded him playfully. "It's spreading! You've infected Gino with your moodiness."

Her words however were met with an eyeroll from both of them and she let out another annoyed sigh. "Geesh, tough crowd. You boys had better relax by the time we're in Russia or else I can't be held accountable for my actions." And with that terrifying notion placed in their minds she turned on her heel and headed off towards Princess Cornelia's chambers, no doubt looking to give the woman another bout of her special kind of grief.

For a moment the remaining two Knights watched her go in that same perplexed manner that they always did after more than five minutes in her presence before deciding to head off themselves, Suzaku wanting to have a look at this Knightmare Prince Schneizal's people had put together for him. That was the plan at least until Gino spoke up.

"Aren't you going to check in with her?" He asked him calmly, still something Suzaku was trying to get used to from the young man who usually bore a smile through anything.

"I hadn't planned on it." He admitted all the same, knowing which 'her' his fellow Knight was referring to. Quite frankly he didn't know what he could say to her about all of this. Something that Gino seemed to have picked up on.

"You should, you know." The former Knight of Three told him solemnly, "Once we get going, we'll probably be gone for a while. If there's anything you two need to say to each other it might as well be now."

 _More sage advice from the last person who ought to give it._ Suzaku thought to himself as he finally turned to regard the taller man. "Where's all this coming from Gino? You've been acting odd for days now and no one's really sure why. I thought about asking Anya about it but…" He trailed off, knowing why he couldn't have asked her.

Ever since Marianne vi Britannia had been exorcised from her the small Knight of Six had been different, still laconic and monosyllabic at times but now there was something about her that felt off to Suzaku. It was as if he didn't really know who it was he was talking to anymore and going by the odd looks she gave him any time he had tried to engage her in conversation, he'd say the feeling was mutual.

Gino however didn't pick up on this though as he let out a little half-hearted chuckle while scratching the back of his head. "Yeah, I have become a bit of a blond you these days, haven't I?"

The small smile dropped away though, settling back into a frown as the taller man took a breath, as if whatever it was he was about to tell him was a deep secret. "It's just that, a while ago, I heard that Princess Marrybell looks to be moving close to the Russian border and, well…"

 _Ah._ Now Suzaku thought he got it. He'd long known that Gino was an idealist when it came to his duties, carefree he might have been but he'd always been serious about his loyalty, if not to the Royal family then to Britannia itself. For him to now be forced to fight soldiers that might once have been friends of his had to be weighing hard on him. _The same way it hurt me to fight the Japanese._

But that was only part of it as Gino pushed himself onward. "Her personal force, the Glinda Knights will be with her, one of whom is a family friend. We grew up together as kids, entered the academy together, hell our knightmares are a bit similar too." A sad smile spread over his lips for a moment before turning sympathetic eyes to the shorter man. "I guess I know a bit of what you're going through now, having to fight your old friend too."

The bitter chuckle that he finished on cut Suzaku to the bone and he found he couldn't keep himself from balling up a fist as he realised what Lelouch's latest ploy had cost them. It wasn't enough for them to fight each other, he now had to tear other friendships down too? Did he care nothing for the people he commanded?

 _Damn him!_ He barely held back a snarl as he turned to glare down the corridor furiously. _How dare he do this?! Him and that cursed Geass!_

His expression however was caught by Gino who, somehow, managed a more familiar light chuckle at the sight of it. "Wow, Nonny wasn't lying, you do look scary Suzaku." His lighthearted comment only lasted a moment before he reverted to his grim expression. "We need to finish this quickly. Friends being forced to fight each other wasn't something I signed up for when I became a Round."

That was all he had to say, it seemed, as he then started off down the corridor and turned right heading for the lounge, leaving Suzaku to think over what he'd been told. To be frank he agreed with everything Gino had said, but the situation they found themselves in probably meant that friends crossing swords with each other would be the least of the painful acts that would be seen in this war. As for finishing things swiftly, there was no way Lelouch was going to let that happen not when he'd done so much so quickly. He would demand victory whatever the cost.

 _And if they can't deliver, he'll use his Geass on them to make them deliver._ He concluded bitterly, his own command to live a constant reminder of just how far his former friend would go to get what he wanted regardless of anyone else's opinion. _Which is why he must be stopped, no matter how long it takes, no matter what needs to be done._ A hand went into his pocket and pulled out the winged badge that had once signified him as a Knight of Honour to a Royal Family member, his other reminder of what levels Lelouch would sink to. _Euphie's world will be realised, even if I have to kill you to do it, old friend._

His conviction once again affirmed, he once more set off for the hangar that was serving as the Research and Development center for Prince Schneizal where all manner of scientist and technician that refused to bow to Lelouch had gathered. Lloyd might not be among them but all the same they still had some truly unique minds working for them, loyal to the true heir and ready to do whatever it took to restore the rightful monarchy to the throne.

There were some problems however, namely resources and funds. As it was they only had a dozen or so complete knightmares available to them, all of which were Vincents, with bits and pieces of Sutherlands and Gloucesters that had been scavenged by loyalists before they fled the capital strewn about here and there. Add in that they only had a couple of small airships and at first glance one wouldn't think they had a chance against the Britannian war machine.

 _Still…_ And Suzaku couldn't believe he was drawing this sort of comparison, _if the Black Knights could start from nothing to challenge Britannia with only Lelouch to egg them on, we certainly can with Prince Schneizal's leadership._ And that wasn't even counting the fact that soon enough they would have a weapon that would render any advantage Lelouch had in numbers useless.

Still, he wanted to do his bit to end this war and so he made his way towards a cordoned off section of the hangar where Gino's Tristan and Anya's Mordred were docked alongside which was a third machine that was covered by a large tarpaulin.

 _This must be it._ Suzaku thought to himself as he made his way over to it. It wouldn't be the Lancelot Albion but so long as the knightmares he came up against didn't have Cecile's Energy-Wing system it would be enough for him to get by. He was about to look for the ropes holding the tarp up so he could have a look at what had been prepared for him, but as he made his way around the back a shrill cry from behind froze his actions.

"Hey! Hands off!" Pulling back as if scathed, Suzaku looked around to see who had caught him and came face to face with a pair of large almost innocent looking eyes glaring at him. The glare belonged to a young woman with brown hair who didn't look that much older than himself as she went on scolding him. "You can't just touch this thing all willy nilly! This is the Knight of Seven's personal Knightmare Frame! Who do you think you-?!"

And then she caught herself as she suddenly realised who it was she was chewing out. Her angry stare broke away and she immediately stood straight, a look of mild mortification now on her face as she hastily apologised. "Lord Kururugi! I'm so sorry, I didn't know it was you! Please forgive me, if I knew you were coming I-!"

"I-it's alright!" Suzaku quickly cut her off, raising his hands for her to stop whilst throwing her a weak smile "It's my own fault, I should've known there were other people around."

His assurances trailed off then and for a moment the two of them just stood there staring at each other, allowing for a rather awkward silence to fall between them. After another moment of the weirdness passed, he cleared his throat and began again. "Sorry about just roaming around but I heard you had a knightmare ready for me, Miss…?"

"Oh!" The girl perked up at his getting onto business and quickly nodded before relaxing a little and smiling eagerly. "Yes, we're just putting on the finishing touches to it now. Though we were hoping to make it a surprise before you were all shipped out. And it's Mariel," she added on, as if her name was an afterthought "Mariel Lubie."

Lubie, huh? Why did that name sound familiar? A moment passed before the light flickered on in Suzaku's head. "Wait a sec, weren't you part of the A.S.E.E.C.?"

"Right in one." She nodded, grinning at him happily, "In fact I worked on the Lancelot project with Lloyd Asplund and Cecile Croomy for quite a while. Well," she grimaced a little bit before going on, "I say I worked on it, but I really wasn't all that involved in its construction. I just helped keep the designs manageable and, y'know, actually doable. Lloyd finally caught on though after Shinjuku and that was it for me."

Yeah now I remember. It was with wide eyes that Suzaku finally clicked where he'd seen this girl before, she was the one who gave him the manual and his first pilot suit right before his first piloting experience in the Lancelot at Shinjuku.

"I remember." Was all he said, though with no small level of surprise.

It was enough for Mariel though, who looked at him in surprise for a moment before recovering and sending him a happy smile and wink. "Nice to know I left an impression."

And then she clapped her hands twice, signalling for the technicians to pull the ropes holding up the tarp slack and drop the whole thing to the floor, revealing the machine beneath. What then greeted Suzaku's eyes was a very familiar looking face.

Mariel however was frowning a little bit as she came to stand next to him. "It's not quite the Albion in terms of performance, and we don't have the resources to build a Conquista Armament package so you'll have to be careful about Gefjun Disturbers for now."

Every take away she added was accompanied with a wince and it wasn't hard to see why, essentially what she was saying was that his new knightmare was a step back rather than forwards. She covered for that though with a confident smile as she turned back to address him again. "Still, you're familiar with it so it shouldn't be that hard to pilot at least."

"I'll just have to be more careful with it than I was with the Conquista." Suzaku said confidently, feeling truly grateful for the chance to be of use once again and additionally glad that he would be doing so in a machine he knew so well. In terms of aesthetics it looked almost identical to his first machine, save for a swapping of golden highlights for blue and a float system that looked to be fixed onto its back rather than just fitted.

There was one question about it though that he couldn't resist asking as he pried his eyes away from it to look at Mariel. "Why does it have a horn on its head?"

The woman tipped her head to the side before giggling out loud. After a moment she gathered herself and replied with mirth. "Well we didn't call it Lancelot Club for nothing!"

* * *

 **Berlin**

Well the meeting with the dignitaries was finally over and, as Lelouch retreated back to the Chancellor's office (where Bishop had finally gotten a hold of himself) with his two top Rounds and Alfred, the young emperor made a note to never, under any circumstances, accept gifts from leaders of conquered nations ever again. Of all the things they could have given him, they decided to go with that?! Was he not getting his message out properly?

 _I'll have to have a word with the media guys, something clearly got lost in translation._ What other reason could there be for the knightmare-sized solid gold statue of himself the two Scandinavian countries had made for him that was now filling up the Reichstag's driveway? It wasn't even the making of such a thing that irked him so much as the stance they'd chosen to pose him in. They'd had him in his full White Emperor regalia standing with his arms wide in the 'call for peace' stance, all of which made him look like some sort of strange rich-looking Jesus Christ. Honestly it made the one in Rio of the actual Jesus appear mediocre in comparison. And that wasn't even counting the amethysts they'd used for his eyes.

"Ugh." He moaned to himself as he dropped back into the Chancellor's seat, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Now I remember why I didn't come back to Britannia sooner. All the bloody asskissing."

"Oh really, Your Majesty?" Cinder asked him innocently, though the effort was slightly ruined by the fact that her expression suggesting she was fighting back the desire to cackle madly at the wonderful little prank Alfred had just played on their boss. "I thought it was because you hated your father with a burning passion. What will the people think if they hear such talk?"

"Not helping, Cinder." He muttered back at her through mildly clenched teeth as he pulled himself forward to rest his chin on his hands. Though maybe he should be counting his blessings that she was restraining herself to mere teasing, Thomson hadn't been quite so silent in his mirth and even the Scarlet Guard had been fighting down snickers at the sight of that gaudy monstrosity. At least Bishop (when he'd pulled himself together enough to join them) and Arthur had been fittingly silent… although Arthur was probably due to the fact that he was too embarrassed on Lelouch's behalf to say anything anyway.

Letting out another sigh he turned to the instigator of his misery in one last desperate ploy, "And you're absolutely sure it's not rigged or wired up to anything?" Surely there was some way he could get rid of it without looking like a petulant child?

But Alfred just shook his head, still smiling at him mischievously. "I'm afraid not, Sir. We did extensive checks before it was presented to you and when you requested a second one, it's completely benign."

"Maybe this is their ploy." Cinder suggested, though this time she was unable to hold back a giggle, "Get in close, give you that statue and then watch you die of embarrassment. What genius! Others must learn from these masters of subterfuge!"

"Still. Not. Helping." Lelouch snapped at her tiredly.

"Not trying to!" She sang back.

Sighing one last time, he resigned himself to at least a week's worth of ribbing over this and let his head go so it was now hidden behind his still steepled hands. "Is there anything anyone wants to talk about that is not going to result in me feeling foolish?"

"Aww," Cinder moaned, "but Luluuu it's our day off!"

How in the hell she'd found out about that nickname of all things was trumped by that fact that she was calling him by that at all and thus Lelouch just buried his head further into his chest. Was that moniker going to be stuck to him for all eternity? _Definitely should've just let Suzaku kill me._

Finally, however, he was saved as Alfred, still chuckling a little, stepped forward before clearing his throat and assuming his normal professional stance. "Actually Sir, a call came in for you a few moments ago on your private number, asking if they could speak to you in person."

"Oh?" Now that was interesting enough for him to look up. The private number his aide was referring to was the phone he'd brought with him from Japan that he'd left in the Shinkiro. Same number, same contacts, same everything. Honestly Lelouch had never expected anyone to call that number ever again but something had compelled him to hold onto it anyway, an act that was now proving wise. There were only a few people who could be calling him from that and, considering he hadn't heard anything from Rivalz and, thanks to Charles' Geass command still being active on them all, Milly didn't remember that he was royalty, the number dropped even further. Intrigued with something that didn't involve pranking him he went on to ask "Did they say anything else? Name? Return address?"

"None at all, I'm afraid, Sir." Alfred replied, though he too seemed somewhat curious. "Though I suspect that was because it was me she spoke to rather than yourself."

She. Well that would've narrowed it down somewhat if someone, not naming any names, hadn't decided whilst masquerading as him to get the number of every eligible young woman at Ashford. _I swear on the temples of C's World, if this turns out to be one of those rabid fangirls I'll post that damn statue to them._ Not a bad idea now that he thought about it, they'd certainly get more use out of it than he would.

"She did say though that if you were on hand that I should give her a chance to speak to you." Alfred continued, producing the phone in question and presenting it to Lelouch.

For a moment the young emperor paused as he looked at the small device before him. A mere consumer's product but with it came a slew of memories of rather happy times; pranks and classes, paperwork and laughter… a promise of fireworks that he couldn't keep. A quick glance at his knights didn't help him, Bishop had regained his calm repose (even if his eyes still looked a bit watery) and Cinder still had that amused smirk that told him whatever 'advice' she offered would result in him redfaced and stuttery. Therefore, he just sighed and took the phone from Alfred's hands.

Hitting the redial button, it didn't take long for the other end to connect and with resigned trepidation Lelouch brought the phone to his ear and began, "Hello, this is Emperor Lelouch vi Britannia (he pointedly ignored Cinder's snickers). I understand you've been trying to-"

"Master Lelouch?" The caller's very familiar voice cut him short and he froze, eyes going wide. A moment passed in his silence and he only came back to himself when the caller spoke again, a touch of joy in her tone. "Master Lelouch, that is you isn't it?"

"Sayoko?!" Just the name of his faithful servant was enough to force him to his feet, no doubt shocking his gathered subordinates but he didn't care, elation overcoming him as he quickly returned her questions with his own. "Is that really you, Sayoko? Are you alright?"

"I'm well enough, my lord." She replied, sounding just as elated as he felt at this reunion, "I'm in one of the hospitals in Britannian Tokyo. I don't know how, but I must've gotten lucky when the F.L.E.I.J.A went off."

"And Nunnally?" It was a longshot, hope getting in the way of common sense, but Lelouch had to ask. He had to know one way or the other. But the silence that came after he asked it told him the answer before Sayoko spoke it and his heart went crashing back down.

The same could be said as she replied, sorrow evident in her tone, "My lord, I don't have the right to say it but I am so very sorry. I did try, my lord. I even located her but I… I just… I couldn't…" She trailed off as her grief took her over and Lelouch easily heard her try to choke back a sob, a failing tactic that he'd known all too well in that month before he returned to the public stage.

At this point, he could've gotten angry at her, spite her for her failure to save his sister and lay all the blame he'd heaped on himself for that tragedy on Sayoko's door. He'd charged her with recovering Nunnally and she'd failed completely. But the fact remained that none of them had expected Schneizal to have made that awful weapon, nobody could have prepared for it nor escaped it. All these things that C.C. had hammered into his thick skull which he now passed on to a woman who had done more for him than his own mother ever had.

"Sayoko," Lelouch spoke, making sure that she was listening before he continued. "What happened wasn't your fault. We were all caught off guard. It won't happen again."

"But, master, I-!"

"If you want to blame someone then point it at my brother and Suzaku." He cut her off firmly, all that he'd come to terms with coming forth as he did so "Their actions have forced this latest change in affairs, something that we will pay them back for. If we do so, maybe then Nunnally can rest in peace."

For another moment there was silence on Sayoko's end as she took in what he was saying. Finally she spoke again, sounding much more level headed. "I understand my lord. Then you plan to continue your quest for Lady Nunnally's world?"

 _That's more like it._ He thought to himself with a small smile as he replied, "To the very end."

"Then I will do all in my power to help you reach it." She told him, her voice full of conviction and readiness to serve.

An unexpected boon, but definitely something and someone that Lelouch was glad to welcome back into his service. As such he decided to get right to the point. "Let's get started then, what's the situation over in Tokyo? How have the people responded to my little social experiment?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you much, my lord." Sayoko replied regretfully, "I only woke up from a coma a few days ago so I can't say one way or the other what everyone thinks."

 _Well, that's a shame._ Lelouch had been hoping to get some idea of how well the new system was working, at least until he returned to force the UFN out once and for all. _Oh well, it's not integral just yet._ Still he'd been expecting by now. Fortunately the call would turn out to be more than an unrealised long-desired reconnection as Sayoko then went on to say, "But I have befriended a fellow patient who's been here for quite some time and she seems rather impressed with how you're handling things."

"Oh?" Well one was better than none, so at least they had a start. "Does she have a name?"

"Oh yes." She replied, sounding a bit amused at it now than he thought about it. "You might know her actually. A woman by the name of Ayano Kozuki."

For the second time today Lelouch froze up as a name from the past found its way to him. The face of a woman who'd been trodden on for years assaulted his memory, pushed to her final breaking point by the old Britannia's system that she turned to Refrain to take it all away and send her into a blissful dreamworld. A fate he almost took upon himself had it not been for a young woman that the two of them knew very well.

"You're with Kallen's mother?" He asked as calmly as possible, even though his voice had dropped to a hoarse whisper and his free hand had balled into a fist on the desk. Another thought passed his mind as he did so and, desperately pushing away at the pain it filled him with to consider it, he followed up by asking, "Did she come by? To check up on her?"

"Yes, she did." Sayoko replied promptly before her tone turned icy. "She seemed to be in good shape considering what she and the rest of those _kasu_ did to you."

 _Ah, so she pieced that together as well._ And suddenly the idea of two of his most loyal followers together in the same room, now considerably on opposite sides, had Lelouch considering something else which filled him with dread and he quickly asked. "Sayoko you didn't do anything to her did you?"

"No, not at all." She replied, still as relaxed as ever considering the way she was talking only a moment ago. "We simply had a nice conversation, clearing up some misconceptions. Was that wrong? Should I eliminate her and any other Black Knights that visit Ayano whilst I'm here?"

"NO!" Shit, that was a bit loud. A glance around told him his audience were just as shocked as he was by his outburst, Alfred the least with a mere eyebrow raise and Cinder the most with wide eyes and a slight jump back. Clearing his throat, he started again. "No. Sayoko, they are to be left alone for the time being. _Especially_ Kallen. Understood?"

She definitely wouldn't like that he was essentially leashing her but you wouldn't think it to hear her obedient response. "Understood my lord. Is there anything else you need of me then?"

Smiling involuntarily at her eagerness to serve, Lelouch merely responded, "For now get some rest, Sayoko. I'll have someone set out to collect you in due course… and Sayoko," he called out before she could obey his order, "it's good to hear from you again."

A second passed between them and then she replied softly, "Thank you, my lord. I've missed you too." And then she hung up.

As she did so Lelouch also disconnected his phone, and for a moment he found himself feeling so very lonely. For weeks now he'd been focussing solely on the establishment of a new gentle world to the point that, only now he realised, that he'd pushed almost everything that happened before that to the recesses of his mind to be touched on only when he was alone. But now, with one phone call, it hit him just how much he had left behind when he returned to Britannia; Sayoko had been more than a servant or a bodyguard. She was family… and he'd just left her there.

With that thought screaming in his head, Lelouch pocketed the phone and marched around the desk. "Alright, Alfred I want a small group of agents sent to Tokyo immediately to make contact with Sayoko Shinozaki. I want her brought to me alive, unharmed and unrestrained. Once she's here we can…" He trailed off as he noted the still forms of his audience. "What?"

"Forgive me, Sire," Bishop was the first to speak, "but who was that on the phone? Someone you knew from your time in Japan?"

Ah, right, he'd never told them about his home life in the former Area 11 had he? Fortunately he was in too good a mood to let that bother him and so Lelouch merely smiled warmly before answering. "She's a bit more than that, William. Sayoko basically raised me and my sister whilst we lived there." A little chuckle escaped him as he went on to say, "It probably helped that she was a master kunoichi to go with it."

"A what?" Bishop asked, frowning at the term.

"Kunoichi." He repeated, "A female practitioner of ninjutsu."

"Wait a minute," Cinder cut in, looking hilariously bewildered, "are you saying you were raised by a _master ninja?_ "

"Well," Lelouch shrugged a little, "she was more of a master ninja assassin… but she was also a former maid of Ruben Ashford's."

To their credit that last addition didn't send any of them off on any sort of long-winded ramble about how that just didn't make any level of sense, so they were already a step up from what he was like when Milly first introduced the two of them. Bishop actually seemed impressed by the duplicity whilst Alfred, unshakeable as ever, merely nodded as if he expected exactly that kind of answer. Cinder's response however left him a bit confused as she merely let out a small snort before muttering to herself, "Yup, definitely fell into a cartoon somewhere."

An… unusual way of summing things up, there was probably a story behind it but Lelouch considered himself very fond of having a head to wonder about these things and so refrained from asking about it. Although it seemed she noticed him giving her a curious look as her own bewildered expression suddenly washed itself away to be replaced with a carefully guarded frown, with which she asked him, "By the way, who's this Kallen girl?"

Now, it was asked nicely enough, no inflections or tone suggesting any sort of mood regarding what she thought about there being _another_ girl to go with the previous two she was aware of that he was close to. And that was exactly the reason Lelouch knew she was pissed off about learning about her now.

 _Crap, I really did say too much in that conversation didn't I?_ A very nervous lump found its way up his throat which he quickly gulped back down in the face of Cinder's quickly-growing-icy stare, it wasn't like he wasn't going to tell her about Kallen but this had not been the way he'd intended on doing it.

Still her question had raised the curiosity of Bishop and Alfred and he just knew he wouldn't be getting out of it without some sort of explanation. And so with a sigh over how this was all coming out way too soon, Lelouch answered their question.

"Kallen is… a friend I suppose is the best way to sum it up." Not quite accurate but then there had never been time to find out what they were too each other. Surprise, surprise, but rebellions tended to get in the way like that. Not that he could say that with Bishop in the room and so he moved on to heavily edit their relationship. "She was someone I depended on greatly whilst I was in Japan. It's safe to say I wouldn't be here today without her support."

There, not a lie and if the look on Cinder's face was anything to go by he'd conveyed that this was a Zero related topic that shouldn't be spoken of in the presence of those not in the know. She didn't look like she liked that but still gave him a short imperceptible nod that she would drop it for now, but Lelouch wasn't foolish enough to believe that that was the end of it. Still, he seemed to have satisfied the other two who just nodded their understanding and not moving to dig any deeper.

Still, bringing up Kallen had reminded Lelouch of something he'd almost forgotten in the midst of all this and as such he turned to his aide. "Moving on to more important matters, Alfred, after you've sent the group to find Sayoko I want you to locate another individual."

So saying he slipped back around the desk and grabbed a touch pad that he'd left lying about when the day's earlier fiascos had distracted him and passed it to Alfred. The elderly man took it and switched the screen back on, taking a look at the man Lelouch had been researching. Raising a calm eyebrow he glanced down at his young master. "Another reunion, Sir?"

He asked it in jest but frankly this one could help him with that angle, something Lelouch hadn't considered but if Sayoko's message that she'd 'cleared up a few misinterpretations' was what he thought it meant then maybe a reunion with Kallen without the need of half an army to stop her from killing him might actually be possible. Still business came first, and so he merely shook his head along with a good natured eyeroll.

"Not quite. I need you to locate this man and bring him to me, I suspect he'll be useful in helping us balance the extra half-a-continent's worth of an economy that we just added to the Empire's holdings."

And then, once that was taken care of, he could have a word with James Stadfelt about how best to approach his volatile daughter about all of this.

* * *

 **Avalon**

It may have been a restful time for most of the occupying forces in Germany, but on the Emperor's personal flagship, Cecile found herself worked to the bone by her boss who had been working flat out ever since the reports came in from Lord Jeremiah about the offensive in Rome. To hear that their own Gefjun defence system had somehow been used against them to give their enemies the slip had left her worried. What if others worked it out too? It had actually surprised her that Rakshata still hadn't managed it yet.

Lloyd however…

"Those upstart-ill-mannered-nonsensical-foul-playing-underskilled cretins!" The Earl of Pudding screamed for the fifteenth time today as he had the techs rip out yet another core of one of His Majesty's Vulture Squadron Vincents to get at the systems within. "How dare a bunch of backward Europeans take my work, my pride, and violate it in such a way?! If it was Rakshata I'd understand, that woman at least has an acceptable intelligence, but this lot?!"

And then he turned mad wide eyes to the recording Jeremiah had sent them showing the battle in the Colosseum which they should have won, except for the Vincents, the Centurions, and even Lady C.C.'s Morrigan to suddenly freeze up and be knocked aside by the EU's machines, giving them a chance to escape. "And how in the world did those subpar Alexanders survive the Gefjun rockets in the first place?! Why are they still moving?! Who dares mock my beautiful creations?!"

"Lloyd!" Cecile tried, again, to calm him down by pointing towards the facts of the matter. "First of all, if you'll remember, we stole the Gefjun technology ourselves, there were bound to be things we missed. Second, the Alexanders run on a system that we're not familiar with so there was no way to predict their surviving the rockets in the first place. And third," she indicated towards the knightmare rack to their left which Lloyd had forbidden all but the most foolish of technician to approach, "we've captured more than enough of them to learn what gave them the edge, if you'd just crack one open I'm sure we can-"

"No!" Lloyd snapped, stamping his foot several times and punctuating them with a 'No, no no!' before folding his arms and turning away from the Alexanders with a huff. "I don't care what the little Emperor says, I will not have any part in making those monstrosities of science a part of our military!"

 _This coming from the man who invented beam cannons and wingless flight._ Honestly, her boss could certainly be picky couldn't he? Still he had to know that if they didn't open up at least one of those European machines and work out what made them tick, like His Majesty had ordered, then the next time they went out there they were going to end up in the same predicament as before with possibly worse results. Cecile had argued this front with Lloyd for hours now but he still stubbornly refused to work on it, insisting he could figure it out himself without 'dirtying' himself with the workings of the Alexander.

"What exactly is your problem with the Brain Raid System?" She asked him, mostly out of exasperation, although she would admit to being curious as to why Lloyd, of all people, would refuse to work on it so vehemently.

Her question ceased her boss's ranting to be replaced with a look of sheer perplexity. "Cecile, I'm shocked. I would have thought working with me all these years would have told you all you need to know." Seeing that his response had just confused her more, Lloyd sighed and adopted as neutral an expression as he was capable of before continuing. "Scientific study of the brain has a long history full of high risk and low reward, any time someone approaches it usually ends in a large pile of dead bodies."

 _Since when has that ever bothered Lloyd though?_ Cecile wondered, still not understanding how any of that could raise any sort of doubts in him. Usually the greater the problem or more difficult the task, the harder it was to pry him away from it. Could it be that somewhere in there he actually did have something resembling a conscience?

He continued to amaze by going on to say, "The Brain Raid System is the same as all other endeavours to turn the brain into a piece of the machine, taxing the pilot to his very limit with just his mind alone. Worse still the hive nature of the BRS means that all the exertions of nearby pilots hooked up to the system is compounded." He paused for a moment before at last turning to shoot scornful eyes at their captured machines. "I wouldn't be surprised if many of the test pilots were driven mad."

"But if it's that bad," and Cecile was sure it was, Lloyd may be a sociopath but when it came to science he knew what he was talking about, forcing her to look at the Alexanders with a wider sense of trepidation, "why would the EU use them at all?"

Lloyd merely shrugged, "Desperation perhaps? Maybe they simply don't see a way out so why not use everything and hope for a miracle? Or maybe they really have deluded themselves into thinking that turning their pilots brains to scrambled egg really is the best way forward." He stopped and shook his head in bemusement, a complete lack of understanding why their enemies would do such a thing clear on his face before turning away from them again. "You won't find me ever working on such technology that could bring harm to our pilots, Cecile. Of that I can assure you, the brain is simply to delicate for us to play with."

Now Cecile truly was stunned, in all her time working with him she never would have figured Lloyd to be an introspective type. And he had raised some very valuable points that she was shocked the EU hadn't considered, why was such a dangerous system in place? Certainly the higher ups could have stopped it and yet here they were. Did the Europeans really care that little for their soldiers?

"Wow." She murmured, still amazed that Lloyd was showing more empathy about people than… anyone else, "I have to admit, I didn't think you thought that much about our pilots."

Her words brought an affronted look to Lloyd's face as he replied sharply, "But of course I care! Devicers are no good to us if their brains go pop!"

 _Wait what?_

But he'd turned away and was back to typing on his work station as the data from their latest Vincent harvest came up on the screen. "Honestly, it's a complete waste of resources! Devicers don't just grow on trees you know! How do they expect to progress if they insist on killing all the test subjects? Did they never leave the Dark Ages? I swear, once we've conquered them, I'll be having words with their top researcher and educating them in the proper pursuit of sci-!"

THWACK!

"And to think," Cecile growled through set teeth as she laid down her bent clipboard that she'd used to smack her now unconscious boss around the head with, "I actually believed you cared for a moment."

Sighing, she glanced around at the gathered personnel who'd all frozen at the loud smack, though she noticed most of them didn't look all that surprised that their boss had once again put his foot in his mouth. Shaking her head, Cecile just signalled a group over and gave them their new instructions. "He'll be out for at least a couple of hours. In that time I want all these Alexanders taken apart and their secret to surviving the Gefjun effect located."

Yes she'd get hell from him when he woke up, but a quick apple crumble along with some raspberry jelly would shut him right up. His Majesty had given them a task, and Lloyd ought to know by now that if he wasn't going to follow orders (which was always) then she would take matters into her own hands.

* * *

Chancellor's Office

After the rather awkward ending to their last discussion, Lelouch dallied here and there throughout the Reichstag taking care of every little thing he hadn't done yet, and a few of the things that he already head, for another few hours. At least that was what Alfred always told Cinder what he was doing every time she asked to the point that she gave up on just cornering him (suspecting that was exactly the reason why her Emperor had gone walkabout) and returned to the Office, perusing over the map of Europe they'd drawn up. She had hoped that going over the plans for the Eastern Offensive would calm her down some, yet all she could think about was just how spread out the Rounds were. Arthur was headed South whilst Peter and Bishop pushed East and she was poised to go North.

And Lelouch? Well she could only guess what he'd be doing - oh she knew exactly what his part of the battleplan was, it was everything else that was getting to her. What would he be getting up to when he wasn't fighting? Would he call up C.C. for a bit of fun, or maybe the new girl she hadn't met yet? And what about this Sayoko chick? Was she really just an absentee mother figure to him? She just didn't know enough to make a conclusion and that aggravated her to no extent.

Oh come on! A sharp voice in her head snapped at her. That's not what's bothering you and you know it! You were more than happy to share before. Damn that stupid thing called common sense, it was right. Cinder knew exactly what, or rather who, it was that was worrying her and that person was half a world away. It hadn't taken her long to remember who Kallen Kozuki was; the bodyguard and unofficial right hand of Zero, pilot of the red nightmare that was the Guren Mk II that had defeated Princess Cornelia and her Royal Guard before the Black Rebellion and then had gone toe to toe with the Knights of the Round after it. After Zero and Kyoshiro Todoh she had been at the top of Britannia's most wanted list.

Apparently though, she was more than just that. What other explanation was there for Lelouch's unusual instructions to leave a woman who went by that name alone? In the time she'd known him, Cinder could count the number of times he'd lost his cool on one hand but this was the first time he'd done so off the battlefield. Just what had their relationship been before the Black Knights suddenly announced Zero's death only for the man behind the mask to take over Britannia?

The lack of answers just served to frustrate her even further, to the point that she wasn't even aware she wasn't alone until Lelouch's hands rested themselves on her shoulders, causing her to almost jump out of her skin, letting out a little squeak. Seeing who it was had gotten the drop on her only made her lack of awareness worse and she felt her face heating up. "Le-Lelouch, hey. I didn't see you back there."

"Evidently." He noted with a small amused smile before glancing down at the map. "Making a few changes?"

"Hmm?" Admitting that she'd completely forgotten it was there wouldn't look good, it certainly wasn't helping her complexion as she tried to stutter out an answer. "W-well I just wanted to have another look over, see if there's anything I missed."

"I see…" Yeah he hadn't bought that at all, she could see it from his concerned frown, but at the very least he didn't call her out on it so that was something. Instead he just shrugged and chucked off his hat and shawl, tossing them onto the desk, and turned around so he was leaning against the fine crafted wooden structure. They remained like that for a few seconds, Cinder unwilling to broach the subject that she really wanted to discuss and the one she wanted to discuss it with watching her with a patient expression.

At last though he took pity on her and said, "I believe I still owe you an explanation."

The way he said it, an admittance verging on misery, almost had her reconsidering her stance on all of this; she was his fiancee for crying out loud! What did it matter that there might be someone else he cared for? He was already sleeping with two women as it was so it wasn't as if he was monogamous. But it was just that reason too that pushed her on: She was his fiancee, didn't she deserve to at least know this much about the man she would be marrying one day?

Yes, she did, and so steeling herself Cinder replied, "I've pieced some of it together. She's Kallen Kozuki, the Red Dragon, right?"

A mildly surprised look crossed her Emperor's face for a moment before it was replaced with a small smile of pride mixed with sadness and he nodded. "Yes, I suppose I should've known you'd figured it out." He admitted, almost whispering as if to himself than to her and looking away as if he was in his own little world for a moment. It almost looked like he wouldn't go on and Cinder was about to prod him when he came back to himself and carried on. "Then you also know that I went almost nowhere without her."

"It might have caught my attention." She confirmed, trying her hardest to keep her tone neutral. But something else had been weighing on her for so long that it strained every nerve she had just thinking about it. Now faced with the chance to discuss it with Lelouch, she found herself now longer able to hold it back. "She was Q-1, wasn't she?"

It hadn't been that difficult to conclude, Cinder knew how her Emperor liked to use chess pieces as codenames for his soldiers. P for Pawn which was often used for infantry, N for Knightmare groups, and so on; it only made sense that he'd been using the abbreviations during his time as Zero as well. And seeing as the Queen was the most powerful piece on the board, it was obvious Lelouch would have given that codename to one who corroborated that. And no one was a more clear representation of that than the pilot of the Guren Mk II.

And yet she still held that moniker whilst Cinder was labelled Q-2. How Lelouch expected her to miss that she wasn't sure. To his credit though, he didn't appear surprised that she'd worked that out as well and merely nodded again. "She had such a temper and you always knew where you stood with her… and yet…"

Yet what? This was the frustrating bit, the part that he'd skated over when she asked him earlier about Kallen. What had she been to him? A friend? Confidant? Challenger? Lover? Which one was it?! But once again it looked like Lelouch wasn't going to answer as he gave out a small sigh and shook his head and Cinder was forced to hold back an aggravated scream. How long did he think he could hold out on this? Didn't he realise that the more he withheld the less she could do for him? The reason she wanted to know where this girl stood with him was so she could figure out how to help him get over her, if it was just a friend then it was easy enough, but if it was the other thing… He'll keep thinking about her, his Q-1, _even when he's with me_.

Lelouch however might not have been deaf to her thoughts though as he shoved himself off of the desk and took hold of her by her shoulders, turning her so they were facing each other. "I know that's not the answer you were searching for, but at this time I just don't have anything else to say. But please, my Queen, don't think for a moment this has any effect on you."

Another low blow there, using the damn Q-word on her, forcing Cinder to duck her head down to hide her blush. Still though she had enough strength in her to ask him, "Are you sure about that? What about the other two who're already sharing your bed? Where do I stand there?"

Did that come out as bitter as she thought it had, because she was sure she could've sounded moreso. She couldn't help it, all this talk about the Queen-who-came-first was making her think about C.C. and that other one who she had yet to meet. Knowing that this man who was quickly stealing away more of her heart by the day had already lain with others just made her feel… cheap. Did he really want her or was she just an additional fuckbuddy when the other two didn't feel like it? Wasn't she more than that… because Cinder wasn't sure she could walk away from him even if that was all he'd designated her as. It was with that reasoning she justified her bringing a recorder with her which she'd hidden on the desk when she came in and was using it to tape this entire conversation.

Presently the unaware Emperor just let out another heavy breath before chuckling ruefully, "I figured you'd ask me that." He admitted, before going on, "The truth is, in part, working as an emperor is tiring business so it's nice to have some pleasure to go along with the job."

"Is that all?" Cinder pressed him, ignoring the fact that it felt like something inside her just broke.

But Lelouch shook his head vehemently at the suggestion, "Not at all! The truth is they've both had hard, miserable lives up to this point, not unlike yourself. If I can help them in any way, even with a mere act of carnal pleasure, I'm happy to do so."

So it's pity? That was even worse to her, she could handle him being with multiple women if it was because he just liked having sex - even if it killed her - but the idea that he was doing it because he was inadvertently looking down on their lives and all their struggles up to this point almost made her sick. How could this be the same person who offered her his friendship and aid in getting justice for her mother back at the Academy? There had to be more to it than that!

It would seem there was as he let out a snort before relaxing his stance somewhat, folding his arms and looking somewhat reminiscent. "I suppose it also helps that they both mesh with my ideal woman."

"Oh?" Now that was an interesting tidbit and, despite the dread in her stomach, Cinder felt a sly smirk start to work its way out. "And what exactly is your ideal woman?"

"Well, after spending seven years surrounded by every type of woman, I can honestly say they all appeal. But if we're talking about the ideal girlfriend or partner?" Oh crap, why did he have to use that word? It made it seem so juvenile… and her face was starting to burn again. Not wanting him to notice, Cinder nodded for him to go on and mercifully he did so. "She would have to be strong, unafraid of going against the grain if that's what she wanted to do, challenging the perceived status quo. She'd have to be ready to challenge me too, if she thought I was going down the wrong path. For that she'd have to be clever, enough so that when I get going she could rein me back in." A small amused smile passed over his face for a moment as a thought struck him. "It'd also be nice to have a talk about subjects other than warfare and imperial management."

"Above all though, she'd have to be a leader." He went on to say, this statement seeming to be the most important of them all. "Someone who isn't afraid to take the reins when necessary, firm in command and ruthless in execution… but also merciful in victory. That's the kind of woman who appeals to me."

That said he went silent and observed her, waiting for whatever response she had to his declaration… but the Knight of Two couldn't have responded if she tried because everything he'd said had sent her heart racing into overdrive. Every word he'd said, every example… it all pointed towards one possibility even though part of her screamed that this was a falsehood: Ruthless in battle, she'd like to think she'd rewritten the definition of that; going against the grain, knightmare piloting - and in fact military service itself - was still a male predominant career choice and she'd had to fight every step of the way to be the best; Clever, she'd helped him work out at least three of the last seven theatres of war, along with the upcoming offensives, and they'd chatted more than once about things outside of military and imperial interests on more than one occasion, usually over a game of chess.

He can't really be saying that I'm…? And yet the kind smile he sent her way suggested it was.

She was just about to go on to ensure what she was hearing was the truth, that she really was that desired by her Emperor, but they were interrupted by an insistent beeping that had him digging into his pocket and pulling out his phone. The smile was suddenly banished from his face and the militant mask suddenly slipped back into place as he hit the accept button and brought the phone to his ear.

"Yes?" He asked before pausing a moment, a look of confusion washing over his features. "Cecile? I thought Lloyd was… I see…" Now he looked both annoyed and amused. "Go on… how long then?"

Another long pause lasted as he received a report, now clearly from the Avalon if it was Cecile Croomy calling him. Not that Cinder was surprised it was the Colonel calling and not Earl Asplund, she'd had the distinct pleasure of meeting the scientific sociopath and had quickly deduced that he cared not a jot for proper protocol. She rather liked him for that. Then Lelouch let out another sigh and nodded unconsciously. "Right, I see. I'll be right there."

"Problem?" She asked him as he disconnected the phone, looking significantly put out.

He just shook his head in bemusement. "It turns out Lloyd doesn't like the Alexanders so he's been refusing to work on them, even though I specifically ordered him to have them all completely dismantled by…" He looked at his phone's screen which read the time as 21:00 "Three hours ago."

Well wasn't that an annoyance, she knew just how cranky Lelouch could be when things didn't go as he specified. Even now she could see the annoyed tick start to form underneath his left eye and like that she just knew he was going to dash off. And just as predicted, Lelouch shoved his phone back into his pocket before looking back to her apologetically. "Forgive me, it seems I'll be working late tonight."

If he was as disappointed as he sounded, and Cinder was beginning to really believe that he was, then the feeling was mutual. Still he wouldn't concentrate on this again until everything was pristine and so she wasn't surprised when he took both her hands in his and pressed a kiss to her knuckles, along with a whispered promise to continue this when he got back. With that he collected his hat and shawl and was on his way out when Cinder suddenly snapped herself out of her idiotic stupor.

Wait a minute girl, are you just going to let him go like that?! She sure as hell was not. Lelouch had just said in as many words that he wasn't just marrying her for the sex… which they hadn't even gotten to yet… and she was just going to stand by as he headed out without getting at least something out of it beside some reassurance? Nope.

As such as Lelouch reached the door, Cinder called him back. When he turned back to see what it was she wanted, he was shocked to find that she'd made her way across the office and was now right in front of him. Before he could ask her what she wanted, Cinder had him shoved against the door and without giving herself a chance to think this over mashed her lips against his. There was nothing chaste or innocent about this kiss, something Lelouch quickly cottoned onto as he returned the aggressive action, wrapping an arm around her to pull her as close to him as he possibly could. This wasn't some loving courtship, it was a claimant, a mark on this man's skin that he belonged to her and damn any other woman, be they old school friend, the two other fiancees or Kallen Kozuki herself. If they had a problem with that they could bring it up with her.

When they finally pulled apart, Cinder was satisfied to see that Lelouch's face had gone beet red and he was gasping for breath after her assault. Just the right look for a man who was spending time with the woman he was engaged to. "There," she told him, doing her best to hide her own loss of breath, "now you can go."

"I… you…" Oh that was sweet, he was completely lost. After a few more seconds of sputtering, the Emperor of Britannia let out a frustrated groan, rearranged his trousers, and sent her an aggravated glare. "I'll get you back for that."

"Counting on it, sweetie." She replied, even managing a giggle as he beat a hasty retreat out of the office. Once he was gone though, Cinder let go of the confident facade and let the red flush that was waiting take over her face and collapsed onto the sofa by the door. Damn, whatever he'd been doing with C.C. and that other girl, they'd certainly taught him how to kiss. If it wasn't for the fact that her legs were turning to jelly, Cinder would be seriously considering going with him to teach Asplund a lesson in following orders. Now she knew she wouldn't be satisfied until she'd gotten her Emperor alone in a room (bedroom optional), stripped him of his royal garments, and ridden him like a stallion until they both popped.

And if any old girlfriends pop up, well… Amber could always benefit from a good fight.

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 **Okay,okay we're back! Co-author Tahkaullus01 is back. I know that many of you wanted it (me too). Well, today a celebration in my country and it's a best present that I could only ask for. Now I wanted to make a omake, but it take more time than I thought. Sorry, but no omake today. And also there thing about Code Geass 3 season...Well, I have many thoughts about it but I will explain to you when new omake will be ready. Bye for now!**


	14. Night of action and choices

**June 14, Outskirts of Prague, Avalon**

For those who believed the taking of Berlin signified the end of Britannia's push into Europe, the next few days proved to be their undoing. After a brief pause in the former capital of the EU remnant, the assault began anew, pushing into the poorer eastern nations in a four-pronged attack designed to take them all in one swift stroke. As for the surviving European forces, they pulled back to Prague turning Czechoslovakia into their unofficial new capital.

Unfortunately for them, that country and city in particular had been marked by The White Emperor as his next personal hunting ground.

And now ten miles out from the city a single Britannian airship hovered patiently, its crew waiting with bated breath. Everyone knew why they were here and why they had come alone: the occupation of Prague would serve as both another step towards global unification and as a massive weapons test, with the European defenders playing the role of control group. It may be a callous way of looking at it, but a majority had been in Japan when the _Avalon_ had still been Prince Schneizel's flagship and as such had had experience in the form of one Lloyd Asplund when it came to using a battlefield to further the march of science. They were therefore properly immune to that pesky thing called morality.

All eyes were on their liege as he observed their distant target carefully, his face a blank mask. Every now and again he'd shift his posture or give slight orders to manoeuvre the _Avalon_ just a tad, intent on getting the next step of their test that little bit closer to perfection, and then he'd just resume his silent vigil as if waiting for a sign. What it could be no one knew, but then it wasn't theirs to reason why.

And then, finally, Emperor Lelouch raised his left arm, his hand open. This had to be the signal they were waiting for and the internal communications officers started sending last minute orders to the hangar crews to get into position, the commencing of operations was about to begin.

Slowly, one by one, His Majesty's fingers closed back up, starting from his little finger and ending with his thumb, his hand turning into a tightened fist. Then his whole arm thrust downwards, the final signal, and the whole crew sprang into action, beginning the testing of their newest weapon against the EU.

On the underside of the Avalon, five large capsules were suddenly released and sent falling to the earth.

"Reading a clean connection, Sire." One of the operator's reported, "The Hounds are on the prowl."

The young Emperor said nothing in response. He merely treated his bridge staff to a chilling smirk and took his seat on the Avalon's throne, his eyes not once leaving the distant city that had no idea what he'd just unleashed upon them.

As the old saying goes: "Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war."

* * *

 **Prague**

Within the city itself, a dark hush had fallen upon the empty streets and buildings as the defending forces waited for the storm they all knew was coming. For all that though they were in better spirits than others might have thought they'd be. This was due to a number of reasons, starting primarily with the unexpected arrival of W-0 Unit and Leila Malcal, her first order of business to issue a city wide evacuation of Prague due to her expectancy that they'd be attacked any day now. And a day later she was proven correct when three Britannian airships popped up over the horizon and laid siege to the city. For much of the following battle it seemed that Prague would certainly fall, even with everything the defenders threw at them and the additional help of W-0's Wyvern and Asura squad it seemed an inevitability that they would have to keep running.

But then something happened that, in all honesty, nobody had been expecting: They started to win.

In some miracle or divine intervention, the EU had somehow gotten their hands on the schematics for Britannia's Hadron technology and built a working prototype. Granted it was only a giant gaudy thing that couldn't turn worth a piss but it had done what all the other advances the EU had made had failed to do: It sank a Britannian airship. And then a second, then the third.

The mood of the soldiers at such an astounding win spoke for itself, they had been jubilant, as if the war itself was already over and they could all go home. Now that they had the monster weapon of Britannia the tables would soon be turning. That was the consensus that General Smilas had arrived at as he looked over the glowing reports of their first victory in the last fortnight from his nice cushy seat in the Cabinet Room of Straka Academy that he'd set up as his new seat of governance.

Apparently though, one of his allies, the masked bastard who gave them that technology in fact, saw things a little bit differently as he sputtered on the wide viewscreen before him. "Are you serious?! One victory and you think that's it?!" Wizard snapped at him in disbelief.

As for Smilas, he remained calm in the face of such anger. Quite frankly he could understand the man's temper, things hadn't been going well for a very long time, setback after setback had run morale into the ground and having been completely ousted from the central and western territories was natural to build some hostility towards him. Nevertheless, good fortune wouldn't smile on them if they continued to look at things so negatively and he said as much.

"My friend," he began with a relaxed smile, "you simply must calm yourself and take a closer look at reality. Yes, for much of the opening salvo Britannia has rained destruction upon us, but now their technology is in our hands and with it we can now begin our retaliation."

Not a bad line if he did say so himself, to which he rewarded himself with a sip from the whiskey he'd 'liberated' from one of the cupboards in the Cabinet. _Ah, no better time to drink the good stuff than right after a wonderful reversal._

"Are you mad?!" Wizard's dulcet tones drowned out his calm buzz however and he was forced back into this conversation. The man in question's eyes were still hidden behind the mask he wore, but it still felt as if the glare he was shooting at him could melt a person's skin if it wasn't for the fact that they were conversing from two very different, very distant, locations. "Yes, the Hadron Cannons are finally being massed produced - which I told you to get onto months ago! - but in case you've forgotten, Lelouch has taken control of one of our most important assets!"

"I assume you're referring to D.S." Smilas surmised lazily, already beginning to tire of his Britannian 'friend's' hysterical attitude and took another sip. Yes, admittedly he was dismayed by the girl's sudden defection to the other side, taking away what knowledge could be gleaned from the mysterious Thought Elevators, but what were the odds that a mere boy would care for such things anyway? It's not like she had been kept privy to their battle strategies or anything. Quite frankly, if he didn't know Wizard any better, Smilas might have thought the man missed the insufferable little bitch. "I believe you are overestimating her usefulness to the boy… well," he corrected himself with a lewd smile, "besides the obvious uses I suppose. She knows nothing that can be of use to him… apart from your identity I suppose," and then his lazy smile dropped away to focus an icy look of displeasure on the masked man "but you took care of that problem all by yourself didn't you, Oiaguro?"

"For the last time," Wizard snapped at him angrily, "I was set up! And what are you talking about 'nothing to offer?' Have you forgotten Geass? What if he becomes interested in hunting down a Code Bearer?"

A credible threat, that was, if Lelouch had shown himself to be in any way concerned with immortality. _Gotta give the kid credit, he's not like most of those Britannian blowhards determined to live forever._ And besides, "If the information you sent me was correct, the only known Code Bearer was this V.V. that Charles zi Britannia received his Geass from." He pointed out to his hyperventilating ally. "And seeing as reports suggest the Geass Directorate was destroyed by the Black Knights and Lelouch himself killed Charles, I very much doubt we have much to worry about."

"But what if-?!"

"Do you know of any other Codes?" Smilas cut off Wizard, now thoroughly fed up with this topic.

It would seem he'd hit the nail on the head too as the Britannian paused for a moment, as if weighing what he did know, and then sighed in exasperation before shaking his head. "I know of one other, but she disappeared nearly a decade ago."

"Precisely." The general concluded, leaning back and taking another sip; the glass was getting low now, how fortunate then that he had extra. "A ghost from ten years ago isn't going to miraculously appear now, the real world doesn't work like that."

And lo and behold, that actually looked like it had calmed Wizard down some as he took a deep breath and, for the first time during this conversation, sat down in his chair that didn't look nearly as comfortable as the one Smilas was resting in. "Alright," he admitted, without any sort of strain in his tone for once. "maybe you're right about that, but bear in mind Lelouch still outguns us by a wide margin, not to mention what happens when his Rounds get involved."

True, true, but as usual Smilas had an answer for this too. "They are devastating opponents to be sure, but then" he added, a cunning smile worming its way across his face "we'll soon have just as destructive a counter."

"What do you mean?"

"Just that I recently got in touch with Prince Schneizel." He pointedly ignored the contemptuous snarl that Wizard made no point of covering up at the utterance of their other ally. "He has graciously agreed to lend us three of his own Knights of the Round to counter Lelouch's little band of fanatics."

"That's… not an entirely terrible idea, actually." The masked one admitted, though it sounded like someone was threatening to crush his balls with every syllable and Smilas could just imagine the sour look Wizard was wearing as he gave Schneizel even the littlest bit of credit. Still though he knew how to rain on a man's parade as he pointed out, "They don't have the first clue about these new Rounds though, the best chance they have is Bishop and that's purely because Bismarck was his superior once. We'll see, I suppose."

"Yes well even if we are getting some Britannian help it's not like we're short of capable commanders on our side." Smilas pointed out, though the truth was of that bunch of silver-spooned, 'privileged' officers knew about as much about warfare as a caterpillar knew how to fly. In all honesty there was only one officer he believed worthy of the title, who just so happened to be in town at the moment. "Leila Malcal has proved herself more than adequate in her position as W-0's commander, not to mention she actually arrived with information regarding those new Rounds and- what?"

He cut off as he spotted Wizard's barely there smirk. "You ought to be careful around her General," he advised lightly. "That girl is becoming more and more popular as time goes by. Give it enough time and she'll be the one running things around here."

If he'd been hoping to get underneath Smilas' skin, the masked bastard was in for a disappointment as the General instead let out a loud guffaw before replying. "I'm tempted to do just that, the EU's running low on decent generals at the moment. I myself have my eye on a much higher post." He could see that had caught Wizard's interest but far be it for him to reveal all his secrets and so he merely continued on. "As it stands the military high command is at… less than capacity."

"Better interpreted as 'vaporised by a surprise attack on Rome' I'm sure." Wizard cut in sarcastically.

"Yes, well, these things happen." Smilas waved it off before continuing. "And the politicians backing us are dropping away like flies, either because they're dead, in hiding, or have switched sides." Rather annoying that, seeing as they were the ones who wanted to fight in the first place… not that their absence was a problem for his own personal plans, but it was the principle of the thing.

Before he could digress he got back on point. "I'm a man who admits when he's reached his limits and this war has at least taught me that when it comes to tactics, Lelouch vi Britannia has me beat."

Oh the look on what he could see of Wizard's face, was it really so out of character for him to admit to someone being better at something than he was? The mark of a good leader was knowing when to delegate responsibilities to those underlings better suited for them, was it not? And besides, Smilas was ready to move his focus elsewhere. And wouldn't you know it, he had just the underling for the job. Speaking of, their conversation was cut into at the sound of someone knocking on the doors of the Cabinet Room.

 _Right on schedule,_ Smilas thought with a small smirk as he absently told her to come in, despite Wizard's questions as to what he was up to now. Just as predicted, the door opened to admit the new guardian angel of the EU, Leila Malcal, who stopped behind his chair and threw up a sharp salute.

"Apologies for the interruption, sir." She began, glancing at the screen with a look of caution at the masked man staring back at her. "I wasn't aware you were in conference, but you said to report to you immediately once your latest orders had been executed."Something he'd gleaned the moment she knocked, this particular soldier had a habit of doing exactly as she was told by her superiors without fail. It was what made her so very useful and predictable. The perfect combination for a successor to his position. That was put on the backburner though as Wizard cut in, confused at the new arrival.

"Wait, what orders are these?" He turned to look at Smilas, what was visible of his face conveying a suspicious look. "What are you up to now, Gene?"

"Always the tone of foreboding with you, Wizard." The general remarked before Malcal could explain their newest strategy. "I merely had the new Hadron Cannons installed on top of our mobile commerce centres."

"You-!" Clearly, for some unfathomable reason, Wizard thought he was about to hear some sort of ridiculous plan that an orangutan in a shirt would call foolish, but then he caught himself and actually thought about it before continuing. "Huh… that actually could work."

He'd clearly reached the same conclusion that Smilas had then. As it stood they'd won at Prague for the moment, but that didn't mean other EU held cities were going to stand and so he had taken to having mobile centres prepared for the eventuality that the war turned into a-run-and-gun affair. And with their newest addition to the arsenal, that idea was starting to show its worth. The Hadron Cannons had already proved their worth so why wouldn't they be used like this now?

Still with that look of befuddlement, Wizard turned his attention to their new addition. "Right… anyway, Lieutenant-Colonel, your presence here is actually quite fortuitous." At her questioning look, he carried on, "The General and I were just discussing Britannia's new Rounds and that you recently came into possession of some rather useful information regarding them."

There was a slight widening of the girl's eyes, clearly she hadn't thought she'd been called up for this. However, what she'd shared with him had been all too interesting for him to pass up and Smilas was curious to see what his masked ally made of this. As such, when she glanced at him for permission he gave her a short smile and nod. Seeing this the girl returned her attention to the screen and answered. "Yes, it was given to me by an outside source, claiming there was more to the Rounds, and the Emperor himself, than we were seeing."

"I see." Wizard responded shortly, clearly not thinking much of this beginning, "And who, exactly, is this outside intelligence source you've made contact with?"

Another glance, another nod, and Malcal replied, "We don't know her real name, only the code name she goes by: Miss X." At the utterance of the name, something very interesting happened: Wizard's head, which had been lazily lolling about when she began her explanation, suddenly went straight up. Even more interesting was what happened when the girl went on to say, "She came to us on loan from an organisation that goes by the name Peace Mark."

If he could go any stiffer, Smilas wouldn't be surprised if Wizard suddenly unconsciously stood up. How very strange. He wasn't unaware that the masked man had had run ins with that particular terrorist group before, however he'd never brought it up so he had something to use if Wizard ever got too uppity. But this wasn't the reaction he'd been expecting by revealing they were in contact with that group, he'd been expecting an icy tone suggesting betrayal or one of his amusing blow ups at working with people like them. Instead, what he got was closer to a desperate attempt to hide a fit of near panic.

"I see." It even came out in his tone, strained and taut, as he tried to hide the effects of this new information. "And where are the representatives of this group now? I would have thought," and here Smilas knew Wizard was glaring at him as he went on to say, "that command would have spoken with them by now."

Very strange. _He panics at their mention, yet clearly wants to be kept in the loop of their whereabouts._ The paradoxical way Wizard was approaching this conversation had the general more and more convinced there was more to this man's past with Peace Mark than just a few knightmare battles. There was a secret there, something that he didn't want getting out or he wouldn't have reacted as if they'd just skinned his favourite puppy and were selling the remains to a museum.

All of this though, Malcal missed as she regretfully informed him, "I'm afraid we lost contact with Miss X after we fled Rome. She hasn't called us since."

Regrettable, especially as Smilas was sure there was so much more that this X woman could have told them, but what they had learned would do for now. With that then, he took over the conversation again. "Thank you all the same, Lieutenant-Colonel, I think we all understand the significance of what you've brought to our attention. Right Wizard?"

"...Hmm? Oh, yes. Thank you, Malcal." Wizard repeated, though clearly now his mind was elsewhere. Though what it could be considering, that was the bit Smilas wanted to know.

Therefore, as he cut the connection and dismissed Malcal, he in turn began making preparations. With the Agravain's specifications sent to them, the Hadron technology cracked and the science teams beginning to look over the Float system, it was possible that their Britannian friend had outstayed his welcome. If he was going to now use the EU to further his own goals rather than that of his own, well, everyone was familiar with the term 'trimming the fat.'

With her dismissal without further orders, Leila found herself somewhat at a loose end; she'd taken care of everything that General Smilas had tasked her with since their miraculous victory the other day, mainly supervising the transferal of the new Hadron Cannons to the mobile command blocks, then had been running back and forth doing odd jobs for the numerous other units who hadn't come out nearly as well as W-0 had yesterday...although most times that just turned out to be younger pilots wanting to get her autograph but you never knew when one of the requests might be genuine. Now, with nothing else to do, and for a moment of brief soul searching, she decided to say 'to hell with it' and got a ride back to base.

As W-0 had established itself as some sort of miraculous survivor unit that seemed to always make it out of a battle with Britannia, they had been lodged in a front most position so that when the fighting started their teams would be the first to engage. It certainly worked from a morale point of view, seeing the infamous Wyvern squad and the quickly-gaining-a-reputation Asura squad leading the charge worked to inspire the other units, but damn if it wasn't taxing on her pilots. It also didn't help that, because of this, their base was actually further outside the city of Prague than the others, just a few meters outside the established killzone of the city's fixed defences.

It made one think if the higher ups - what was left of them - loved them or hated them. _Hell,_ she snorted as she rested her head on the uncomfortable head rest of the military jeep she'd flagged down, _maybe they alternate._

Whatever the case, she found she didn't really care. Dusk was on them and she just wanted a few seconds of sleep, and she was about to rest her eyes when something in the distance caught her eye. It was only for a moment, but for a second she thought it looked like one of their Alexanders. _Have they changed the patrol route?_ She wasn't aware of any such change but maybe she'd missed something during all the jumping about she'd been doing today. Shrugging it off as nothing, Leila lay her head back down and gave herself a few minutes of relaxing quiet, gods know the last week ought to have earned her at least that much.

Her short nap ended at the arrival at the new W-0 base, where she immediately spotted Claus lounging outside and nursing a cup of coffee; looked like he'd pulled the short straw for evening guard duty. But he was taking it with good grace as he merely gave her a lazy salute before waving her on. She just smiled in return and headed towards the science department.

Upon arrival, the first thing she noted wasn't the new set of red Alexanders that Hilda and Chloe were working on - the fact that they'd been up for nearly thirty-six hours now apparently not registering with them - but the image of their boss, the innocently brilliant Anna, lying on the sofa by the wall, fast asleep. For a moment Leila felt a stab of envy that her childhood friend could nod off so easily, but then it had been her genius that had gotten them out of Rome and she'd been up since then refining her little trick that had allowed their escape so if she wanted to rest now Leila supposed she couldn't really begrudge her a moment to herself.

Upon seeing her arrival, Hilda tapped Chloe on the shoulder and jumped down from her seat on her Alexander's shoulder. "Commander." She greeted after landing, "Something you need?"

"Not at all, I just felt like checking in." Leila replied, making way as Chloe followed her colleague's lead and hopped down to land next to Hilda. Rolling her eyes at their antics, she then glanced up to observe the new machines. "These are for Asura Team I suppose?"

"Yup." Chloe nodded, turning back to regard the one she'd been working on. "It was about time they got an upgrade from those old Gloucesters anyway."

"Valiants as well," Leila noted, "the same as Wyvern?"

"Eh," Hilda shrugged "we had the parts lying around, not doing anything, figured we might as well use them. We can't very well have W-0's other ace team knocked out of the fight if we come up against another one of those EMP rockets."

Now that was something that caught her attention. "That reminds me, did you ever figure out what it was in those rockets that froze the Panzers?"

Her question, she noted, immediately brought conflicting expressions to the two technicians as they glanced at each other. Well that was no good, not that they hadn't come to a conclusion but the fact that they were in various levels of disagreement over their conclusion told Leila that this wasn't going to be something she was going to like. Still she needed to know and so steeling herself for whatever it was, she asked them plainly, "What's wrong?"

"Well…" Hilda started, wincing a little at her own hesitation, "there's good news and bad news."

 _And there goes my lovely fifty minutes of sleep._ Taking a deep breath, she folded her arms and waved for them to go on. "Lay it on me."

"Right," Hilda started, clapping her hands together, "bad news first: We have absolutely no idea what the hell kind of tech the Brits have in those rockets."

"And the good news?" Leila asked, wincing at the finality of the technician's delivery. If they didn't know then there was no way to properly counter Britannia the next time they decided to knock out their Panzer units.

Chloe winced before sending her colleague a look "Well, I wouldn't call it 'good' exactly, more like 'less bad than the other bad news." Leila liked to think the glower she sent her way at that remark corrected the ginger girl of her glibness, the wince on her face suggested as much as she quickly carried on. "Anyway, the point is we might not know what it is but we think we know someone who does."

"We do?" That was news to Leila, she'd rattled her brain for all the scientific technobabble she'd been audience to in her long relationship with Anna but she couldn't ever recall a time when her friend had mentioned the development of a system that knocked out some machinery but left others alone.

And here, it was clear, was where the difference of opinion came when Hilda piped up. "Well we don't really know, per say, more like a very, very, _very_ ," she looked in Chloe's direction as she stressed that last 'very' "dangerous guess."

"But it makes sense, Hilda!" Chloe insisted, "They were still running after the rockets were fired. And don't tell me you've already forgotten the second Battle of Tokyo already?"

Tokyo? _What does a former Area of the Britannian Empire have to do with any-?_ And then Leila's brain froze. She remembered all too well the news reports of that day, she, Akito, and the others were all enjoying the freedom of being civilians again going day by day with the gypsy clan that had basically adopted them. After Zero had returned, Akito and the other Japanese pilots had been following the Britannian news, hooked on the possibility that they were going to see the Miracle Worker do what he'd sworn to: the complete ousting of Britannian power. Leila would admit she'd been drawn in too, amazed over the fact that the masked man had managed to return seemingly from the dead and then recover his power so swiftly, only then to increase it with what everyone was now calling The Millionth Miracle, and then turn an enemy in the Chinese Federation and the fearsome Li Xingke into an ally. The United Federation of Nations itself was created by this mysterious man, a power block large enough to challenge Britannia itself.

For a time Leila really did believe that Zero could do it, he really could win against Britannia. And then came the Second Battle of the Tokyo Settlement. Zero was killed and Japan remained an Imperial region. The Wyvern team had been devastated, as if all their hopes had been dashed then and there.

But all that was now superseded by a very important fact that for quite a while, she hadn't really thought about due to the fact that, even if it officially ended in a ceasefire, Britannia won that day. At the very opening of the battle for Tokyo, all broadcasting had suddenly gone dark. _I thought that was just the Black Knights cutting their communications, but if what Chloe is theorising is correct..._

"But wait, hold on a sec." Leila spoke up, cutting off the arguing technicians and returning their attention to her. "Are you saying the Black Knights invented this technology? But then how does Britannia - their sworn enemy - have the knowledge to make it? And to what end? What good is a weapon that freezes every kind of knightmare?"

"Not every kind." A tired voice behind them corrected, bringing them all around to face the still somewhat sleepy-eyed face of Anna who was sitting up from her nap.

Mentally, Leila kicked herself. _We must've been talking too loud._ Aloud she apologised, "Sorry, Anna, we got a little bit excited. Go on back to sleep."

But Anna just shook her head at that and got up, straightening up her ruffled uniform as best she could. "No point now, I'm up and about and you of all people know how hard it is for me to drop off again." She teased with a small smile. But the happy look dropped away as she got onto the point she'd been making before. "On that matter about knightmares freezing up, not all of them do, our Alexanders are one kind for a start."

Then she nodded over at her two helpers, "But Chloe does have a point about the Black Knights, their machines have no record of falling victim to these effects."

"That we know of, Anna." Hilda pointed out, still clearly not convinced. "Would Zero really let it be known that his machines are susceptible to something like an EMP?"

"No he wouldn't." The chief technician of W-0 admitted, before pointing out very clearly, "But then he doesn't need to. We've seen with our own eyes that those kinds of machines have a defence against such an attack."

And then it clicked for Leila, where Anna was going with this. She almost felt a fool for not figuring it out sooner herself, the answer had been right in front of them and they hadn't even noticed: "Peace Mark." She all but whispered the name. "They use the same knightmare design as the Black Knights."

"Exactly," Anna nodded "what's more if we go by what we know of the Black Knights' arsenal, at least one of Peace Mark's machines is an older model. That blue one with the Radiant Wave Surger."

"Wait," Hilda jumped in, "are you saying the Japanese had at least one generation of knightmares that're EMP proof?" She asked, incredulity rife in her tone. "But that's impossible! That implies the Black Knights have been sitting on this tech for over a year! Why didn't they use it the first time they attacked Tokyo? Just one of those rockets would've won it for them!"

"They couldn't though." Leila pointed out, remembering the broadcast of that battle as well. "They weren't nearly as organised or well funded back then, their forces made up mostly of Sutherlands and Glasgows. If they'd used it there, they would've been just as immobilised as the Britannians."

"Which is also why we didn't see any Sutherlands when they sacked Rome." Anna added, walking past them all and stopping at the work station, where she then brought up the recording of the battle from Ayano's Valiant. "See? Only Vincents. Nothing below anything considered Seventh Generation, which means Britannia was actually behind on this technology until after the Black Rebellion. After."

"And we'd never even considered the possibility." Leila murmured. A concentrated strike designed to take out the enemy's forces before they could even be powered on had been theorised, but the leading brains had simply laughed it off as impractical and unfeasible. _Well someone managed it,_ she thought to herself bitterly, and unlike us, Britannia immediately worked out both how to protect themselves from it and how to use it to their advantage. That must have been what the Britannians were banking on that day: their unpreparedness for an apparently unmanageable assault. Well it worked, brilliantly too.

"That still leaves out one last detail though." She pointed out, glancing back up at their saving grace. "Why did the Alexanders not suffer the same fate? We didn't have any kind of defences for that kind of warfare."

It looked like Anna knew the answer, but before she could respond a male voice behind Leila spoke up first. "It's because of the BRS."

Spinning around, the girls found that they'd been joined by the Randle couple. Takeru, the one who answered, was standing in the doorway with Sophie at his side, both of them smiling up at the red machines. The husband then continued, wistfully, "It was our brainchild, designed for mental control as much as physical and the Alexanders were built with that in mind."

"Huh, I didn't know that." Chloe murmured, turning back to look at the Alexander she'd been working on. "So are you saying this thing can just be moved with the pilot's mind?"

"Not quite." Sophie spoke up, shaking her head, "Cognitive input is still required, but the Alexanders were designed to draw power from the natural electric charges that happen in the brain. Even if you didn't equip them with an energy filler, so long as there's a pilot in there, the Alexander unit will keep moving."

 _A machine that uses the pilot's mind to operate?_ Frankly Leila didn't know what to make of that, it almost sounded like the Alexander leeched the life out of its pilots to keep itself alive. And after one or two times of seeing what the BRS had done to Akito she wasn't sure it was a good idea. Thus she was compelled to ask "How dangerous is it?"

The couple paused a moment and glanced at each other before shaking their heads lightly. "We've never heard any complaints." Sophie stated, "The possibility does exist that the BRS will act on its own if it detects a significant threat to its survival, but that's what the pilot's there for. So far there hasn't been a single casualty that can be attributed to the system interfering with orders."

 _So far._ Leila considered that particularly diplomatic term for a moment even if outwardly she nodded her head at Sophie's words. _That doesn't mean it's not possible though._ It made all of their engagements over the last year suddenly look considerably more concerning. _How many times then have we been unconsciously forced to do things by the BRS that we normally wouldn't do?_

Gah! Thinking like this wasn't going to do her any good, she ought to focus on the positive. At the very least they now had a lead on to what the tech was, granted it was very unlikely the Black Knights were just going to give them the secret to turning off knightmare frames remotely but at least they now knew where to start. _If Miss X hadn't gone with Peace Mark, we might have been able to strike a bargain with them._

But it didn't do to wonder about the 'what ifs' and so for the time being Leila put the subject away and focused her thoughts on the people around her. Her attention fell on the Doctor in their presence who, even after his recovery, they hadn't seen much of. Time to correct that. "Dr Takeru, it feels as if we don't see you as much as we should. What exactly have you been getting up to since you returned to service?"

"Ah!" Takeru cheerfully smiled, seemingly glad to move on from the subject of knightmares mind controlling their pilots, "Nothing quite as glamorous as the BRS, but just as important. Sophie and I have been looking into new forms of medicine." Saying so, he placed an affectionate arm around his wife, who smiled at the contact. "The war will end one way or the other, and whoever wins will need good doctors, I figure we can do some good if we push our research as far as we can in that time."

His statement did the trick of getting her to think about something else and Leila couldn't help but smile at the couple as they started to go into detail on what their research entailed. It was good to know that, even with all these losses, the Randles were still putting their positions as doctors ahead of their military positions. When the war did reach an end she truly hoped that they were still around to see it, such good people shouldn't be lost just for the greed of a few squabbling political leaders.

The couple's talk had sparked Anna's curiosity too and Leila's smile turned pained as she observed yet another of those who shouldn't be here talk far more animatedly with them than she had been before. _This is what she should've been, a helper, a carer, not a designer of weapons of death. She never should have followed me into the military._ One day she'd make it up to her friend, she more than deserved it.

Takeru and Sophie didn't mind her questions one bit either as the husband generously responded."Well, if you want to learn more about it, we can get together some time and disc-"

That was as far as he got though before the whole complex was suddenly filled with the loud urgent klaxon of the red alert siren and the stamping of feet outside followed by the repeated order to assume battle stations. Their conversation halted, Leila span round in alarm to the girls. "What's happening out there?"

Anna reacted first, hurrying back to the work station and booting up the computer, a few keystrokes later and she had hacked her way into the CCTV network. Everyone gathered around the indigo-haired girl and gazed down at the screen to see what was happening. To their collective horror, they were treated to the sight of one of their new Hadron Cannon mounted command centres burning a fierce orange.

There was no sign of the aggressor, but then they didn't have to see it to know that Britannia had gotten tired of waiting around and decided to press in on them again. And they had done so by taking away the one thing that had given them victory yesterday. _They've already adapted their tactics._ Leila realised grimly, and they had done so in a way that meant they didn't know the enemy had been there until after they'd attacked. And if they could do it to one, then the other cannons weren't going to fare much better.

With that terrible analysis completed, Leila clenched her fists and turned to the Randles, "Get everyone back on station." She ordered crisply before turning to her friend, "Anna, girls, prepare for evacuation."

* * *

Less than ten minutes after the recall had gone out, Wyvern and Asura team had deployed and were now making their way towards the very edge of their ranged support radius. At the head of both groups was Leila's own Alexander which she had insisted be there to help them all as much as she could. Akito would like to think he argued as hard as he could that she needn't have to do that but the stubborn girl had won out and so he merely resigned himself to the fact that he'd just have to look out for her as best he could. All the same though, as they drove further along the night-covered roads away from Prague, Akito couldn't help feeling more and more uneasy.

"Hey, buddy," Ashley called out to him from his right "you okay?"

Glancing over at the Red Ogre, which was now accompanied by a squad of red Alexander Valiants that had replaced Asura Team's Gloucesters, he shrugged and did his best to respond. "I don't like this. We've come under attack but we don't know where from and now we've lost our trump card."

"Yeah, know what you mean." His fellow team leader agreed, sounding just as worried... as well as more than a bit tired as he let out a yawn. "Bloody Brits though, they could've at least waited until sun up before they hit us couldn't they? I was having such a nice dream..."

"I'd keep that dream to yourself, Ashley." Kuzan cut in, "We all know what you fantasise about and, frankly, I don't think your Ayano's type."

"Oh I dunno." Rene interrupted, "Suicidal, rants a lot, hothead, and likes to kill things with sharp pointy things. He may have a chance after all."

"Ha ha," their leader cut back in, "comedians, the lotta you. But just remember who signs your paychecks."

"We do." Rene told him, completely unfazed. "And I doubt Leila would approve if we told her about your other fantasy. You know, the one where its just you two and then Ayano joins in and then you step out and it all gets-"

"You swore never to mention that again!" Ashley yelled, backing Red Ogre up a bit so he could slap Rene's and Kuzan's Valiants upside the head, all of which resulted in the remainder of Asura team laughing out loud at their teammates' antics.

 _Well, at least someone's enjoying themselves._ Akito thought to himself as he observed his team's counterpart, and now he knew way to much about Ashley's private thoughts than might be healthy for him. Still, none of that had dissuaded the fact that he had a very bad feeling about all of this. They'd driven as far as they dared now, well beyond ranged support which meant if they got into trouble help wasn't going to come very quickly. Still Leila seemed convinced that the enemy would appear here, but for the life of him, Akito couldn't figure out why; it was just an old abandoned factory district, hardly the sort of place an enemy with Britannia's ego would hide themselves. And even then, it was now twenty minutes after red alert had been sounded and yet not one shot had been fired besides the loss of one of their mobile Hadron Cannons.

 _This has 'trap' written all over it._ He concluded, looking around worriedly as Leila's Alexander signalled for them to halt and spread out. _And we're walking right into it._

For a moment the two teams scanned the derelict area for any signs of activity, but all too soon everyone was reporting back that the entire area was clear of hostiles. Not that Akito had expected anything of the kind, they would've seen something by now if that had been the case, and yet Leila was convinced that the enemy would come this way. Why?

His thoughts would soon be voiced as Ryo let out a frustrated groan. "Argh! What're we even doing here?" He demanded, also with a touch of drowsiness in his tone, "It's the middle of the night and there's nothing going on! I wasn't even close to finishing!" His Valiant's foot lifted up and kicked in one of the walls of an industrial complex, "Well?! Ya hear me, ya damn Brits?! Where the fuck are you?!"

"Ryo!" Ayano yelled at him before Akito got a chance to, "Will you pipe down?! You're gonna bring the whole Britannian military down on us!"

That did little to deter their vocal teammate as he just scoffed loudly, although he did put his machine's foot back down before replying, "As if that'd be any different from our usual thing: We fight, we run, they chase, we fight again and the whole thing loops back around. Just once I'd like to be the one attacking them."

A sentiment Akito, and he knew the rest of them, shared; they'd been on the run ever since Paris, being shoved out of every location they set up as a headquarters because Britannia just wouldn't be satisfied until they had everything. Always running, always just narrowly escaping, for weeks now. Yesterday he'd thought that was all about to change when they sank three airships and successfully defended their territory for once, the power of the Hadron Cannons was unmatched by anything their technicians had come up with, and yet now even that was being taken away from them. But still, they couldn't just lose their cool now, especially if there were enemy troops nearby.

"Guys," Yukiya cut into the sniping pair, which caught the attention of the others as well who turned slightly to regard him, "not to sound weird or anything but does anyone else hear that?"

At his question everyone went silent, even Ryo, and started looking around at their empty surroundings, all of them listening for whatever it was that he'd picked up. But for the life of him Akito couldn't hear anything out there besides the low hum of their machines, so what was it that Yukiya had heard that had him so spooked?

"I don't hear anything." Leila spoke for them all after a moment.

"Exactly." Yukiya stated, his Alexander being the only one that hadn't relaxed slightly at their commander's words. "This time of night not much would be moving around, but there should still be a few nocturnal scavengers around. So where are they?"

Now that he mentioned it, that was a bit odd. Surely there ought to be the odd animal here and there, right? Suddenly Akito didn't feel so safe anymore and he immediately brought the _Liberte's_ Judgement rifle back up to bear, pointing into the inky blackness ahead of him. Something really wasn't right here.

"I don't get it." Ryo spoke up over the comms. "Didn't we just spook them when we arrived?"

"Some of them, maybe." Leila allowed though she sounded just as tense as Akito felt, her Alexander reflecting that as its own rifle raised back up to point dead ahead as well. "But one or two should still be around, hiding in the buildings... and yet infra red shows nothing."

She was right, Akito had just switched his own scanners over to heat seeking mode and been given the same result, aside from the heat being generated by himself and the rest of the team, there was nothing out here. And yet such a conclusion ought to make him feel safer. No heat meant no one else was around, which meant it really was just them... so why did it feel like someone was watching him?

"Shit." Ashley muttered, Red Ogre's aim going from left to right every so often, "Does anyone else feel like someone dropped an ice cube down their backs?"

He did actually, and he wasn't liking it mostly because he couldn't figure out why he should be feeling worried aside from the absence of a few squirrels. Every visual scan told him that they were alone here at yet his gut was telling him otherwise: Somewhere, very close by, someone was watching them and patiently waiting for their next move. And if that was the case then they really could be screwed this time because a factory district was a knightmare pilot's worst nightmare; so many places to hide and spring a trap, even an Alexander would be in trouble if someone was clever enough here.

The more he waited though, the more a single though began to take him over as nothing appeared to challenge them which served to agitate and infuriate him all the more. _They're playing with us. Watching us scramble around trying to work out where they are and are meanwhile laughing it up from their vantage... wait a second..._

 _UP!_ Snapping the _Liberte's_ head upward he switched back to thermal and scanned again... and there it was: One single heat source.

"Above us!" He yelled to the others, turning to point his rifle at the lone figure starring down at them. The rest followed his lead, probably switching to thermal too and confirming what he'd seen, a second later raising their weapons to bear on it.

"We gotcha now, ya Brit bastard!" Ryo declared, all four of his missile pods opening up and the chaingun revving up and Akito could just see his finger throbbing to hit the trigger. His chance was lost however when Leila's Alexander moved ahead of him and shoved his Valiant's lock out of alignment. "Oi! Commander what the hell?!"

"Everyone hold fire." She ordered them all sharply, much to their collected disbelief, before turning to regard the figure. "If he wanted to fight us, he would have already engaged. He hasn't, which means this might not have to end in violence."

A wishful thought, even if Akito could sympathise. At heart, Leila was a very gentle person, she would fight if she had to and had shown she was willing to do so time and again but she would always be looking for a more peaceful solution to a problem than sticking it with a sword. However that nature had gotten her into trouble in the past, like when she'd met with Shinn to negotiate a surrender which allowed her people to go only to be turned on and would have been killed if he and the rest of Wyvern hadn't gotten back to _Weisswolfe_ in time. As such, even if she wanted to do this the peaceful way, he'd be keeping his sights fixed on that orange blob. A blob that was now moving.

It was still too high up to see with the naked eye, but the thermal vision showed that it was now right above them confirming that whoever their observer was he was definitely in a flight-capable knightmare. That bad feeling Akito had still wasn't going away, the machine was now in their blind spot, if it wanted to attack now was the best time to do it.

Leila didn't seem to be considering this though as she lowered her Alexander's rifle and switched to an open channel. "Attention, Britannian pilot, this is territory of Europia United. Disarm yourself and surrender or retreat back to base and I promise you will be shown the appropriate mercy of the international accords of wartime."

Not a bad line that, she was giving the stranger an out but was silent also telling him that she would fight back if he stayed. At least she did seem to have learned from the past, but still Akito didn't get the feeling that a simple warning was going to deter this pilot. He'd gone to a great amount of trouble to attract their attention, at great cost to their defences too, so why would he leave now that he'd gotten what he wanted?

"Leila." He called her over their squad channel, his eyes never leaving the heat source that was now beginning to descend. "This doesn't feel right, we should go."

But his commander remained resolutely firm where she stood, "If there is even a small chance of resolving an issue without force, Akito, I will take it." She stated firmly, her machine not moving an inch as it continued to follow the unknown knightmare's descent.

The reaffirmation of her nature did little to console him however, and Akito could see that the others were getting antsy as well. There was something going on here, he couldn't put his finger on what but that single Britannian was going to do something any moment now, he just knew it.

Not that he was happy when he was proven right. Just as the knightmare above them was about to come into range of the Alexanders' lights, the thermal scanners suddenly went wild as numerous heat signatures suddenly lit up. Alarmed, his gaze dropped back down to the ground around him to take stock of what had happened; there were at least twenty sources of heat suddenly surrounding them, some hidden within factory buildings whilst others looked as if they could have ran right into them if they'd moved an inch further. The trap had been sprung.

 _But how?!_ Akito stared at them all, noting that the others were now prioritising the surrounding enemy force. _We should've seen them on the scanner! Even if they turned them off the pilot's body heat would still show!_ Flicking off the thermal settings for live feed didn't give him any answers, in fact it just made him feel worse: the new arrivals were hidden in shadow, the only thing visible being a pair of ruby red lights for each machine glaring at them. And then the situation went from bad to worse as an open channel suddenly established itself and he was treated to the sound of a chilling, familiar laugh. _No... not him, not here._

His prayer went unanswered as the laugh was then replaced with an amused voice addressing Leila. "I apologise, but I couldn't help listening to your declaration." All eyes then snapped back up to the machine above them, now illuminated by their machines' searchlights… and Akito sucked in a fearful breath. Above them hung the black and gold knightmare that had turned their entire invasion force into scrap metal with only one attack.

"No way..." Yukiya's whisper was almost missed on the radio, a tremor in his tone.

"Hello Wyvern Squad." Lelouch vi Britannia greeted them, "Did you miss me?"

 **#**

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 **...C** **liffhanger**

 **Well, to be honest strong was supposed to be bigger, but because of coming holiday was divided in two. So think about it as a Christmas gift.**

 **So what will happen in next chapter? Will Lelouch finally kill Leila and W-0? Will Leila choose his side as an ally and something more? Will Ryo finally shut up? So many good questions, well...Marry Christmas**!


	15. Whom to choose? Ally selection

_Kept you waiting, huh?_

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass and I make no profit writing about it.

(AN): Sorry about the delay in updates. Tahkuallus has been gone for a while, so this was sitting dead in the water until I decided to take a gamble.

* * *

 **Prague.**

"Hello, Wyvern Squad. Did you miss me?"

Both Wyvern Squad and Asura Team were shocked and terrified to see the enemy leader – Lelouch vi Britannia himself! - here. Especially Yukiya, who was staring at knightmare that had almost killed him back in Paris.

Their team leader was prepared for the fight of his life. Akito wasn't the type to underestimate his opponents twice, and the Emperor of Britannia was the most daunting enemy Wyvern Squad could come up against.

But despite his fear, Akito was nowhere near ready to surrender. He wouldn't let anyone hurt his friends, even if it cost him his life.

Leila was ready to start a fight against the skewed odds, but she was still unsure why the Emperor was here in the middle of nowhere, and she wanted to know why. Both for the sake of curiosity and for the dim hope that the situation could be diffused without more death.

"Lelouch vi Britannia, what are you after?"

The black knightmare turned to Leila's Alexander, its red Factspheres glowing ominously.

Motioning one of her Alexander's hands about at their surroundings, the blonde girl. "This is not what anyone would call an important strategic asset and hardly merits the personal attention of the Emperor of Britannia."

"Or are you just here to taunt us?" That sort of arrogance would fit right in with what she knew about Britannian royals. If that was all he wanted, then he was a fool. Even outnumbered, Wyvern Squad was full of knightmare pilots ready to fight and die for Europe. Maybe they'd be crushed, but Leila would make sure they took Lelouch down with them. "We won't go down so easily."

Lelouch just laughed, prompting Leila to narrow her eyes in irritation.

"Well, I expect nothing else from famous Leila Malcal." Lelouch murmured with light amusement over the open channel. "Your subordinates may be skilled, but what about numerical advantage? Superiority of armaments? In these I can easily compete with you with you."

Before anyone could demand clarification the faint light of Factspheres that flickered in the darkness blazed, revealing twenty black knightmares with red orbs in their heads.

"These are..." whispered Franz while the rest of his companions were dazed again in horror.

"Alexanders." finished Akito, sweat beginning to bead on his temples.

And indeed, the black machines before them were ebony versions of Europe's famed knightmares. They were all equipped with standard macrobullet rifles and rocket launchers. The only difference between their own units and the newcomers beyond the paint job was that all of their cockpits seemed to be unfit for human pilots. It was queer adaption that puzzled more than one of Europe's finest.

"So you stole them!" Leila accused, her jaw tensing. The superiority of the Alexander over the standard Sutherland and Gloucester was one of Europe's few remaining advantages, but here before them the Emperor was showing how weak that security blanket really was.

All black Alexanders assembled beside their Emperor, lurking like dread knights out of some forgotten legend from a thousand years ago.

"They were Alexanders once. I don't call them that anymore. And we confiscated them as the lawful authority in the area. So we haven't stolen anything." Lelouch parried, a smirk pulling at his mouth. "Perhaps it would feel better if you think we just picked up a few toys that were abandoned by the EU. You can call them Hounds."

Leila stared at the enemy machines few seconds before shaking her head. "Fun. And what does Your Majesty want?" Her voice was even more sarcastic than the first time, and despite the feigned civility none of her subordinates lowered their weapons.

"Well, as I would hope you know, the EU right now is not in what anyone could call an ideal position."

The assertion by an enemy commander prompted an instinctive quiet bristling by Wyvern Squad, but no one protested. As much as it rankled their pride, they all without a doubt agreed with him. Losing all of their western territories was an enormous blow to Europe's war effort.

"And that's why I want to offer you, , an alliance between us."

"What?" she asked weakly, purple eyes wide with disbelief.

Emperor Lelouch vi Britannia - the ruler of the most powerful country in the world who had won almost every battle in this war - was asking her to make an alliance with him. During a random meeting. It boggled the mind.

"You heard me, Ms Leila. An alliance between the two of us would be enough to put an end to this war and save Europe from further bloodshed and destruction."

It was an absurd idea; an impossible suggestion for a loyal soldier of the European Union. And yet a small part of her couldn't help but start thinking about it. Something – and she didn't know what - was on the tip of her tongue when Ryo spoke up on Wyvern Squad's private channel.

"Maybe he's trying to make friends with us because he's afraid of the last battle? Maybe he's afraid that we've got some new technology we can use to beat him? None of his troops in Rome were able to come after us once we froze them."

The commander in Leila doubted her friend's idea, but to be fair to Ryo it made some sense. If he was truly afraid of their new technology then it might explain Lelouch vi Britannia's sudden appearance.

As she turned that thought over in her head, Leila felt like it wasn't quite right. The man that killed his own father and laid waste to half a continent wouldn't be scared so easily. But if he wasn't scared of them, did that mean he was afraid of something else? Or was Emperor Lelouch the kind of madman that had no fears at all?

If she decided to accept the Emperor's proposal, they'd form an alliance to 'stop the war'. But why does any country that starts a war just suddenly want to stop it?

Because there was a new and bigger threat on the horizon.

If the war dragged on for a long time it was possible that other nations would decide to attack Britannia. The UFN was the most likely to declare war on Britannia, but other large neutral countries like Australia might take the risk of getting involved. Or there could be rebellions in the Britannian Empire's Areas or even the homeland itself. Britannia had always been a tyrannical empire, and Lelouch was technically by law a usurper. Revolutions or a succession crisis were certainly possibilities.

"If I decided to ask something, Emperor Lelouch, would you answer my question honestly?" Leila glanced at Asura Team and then again at black knightmares surrounding them. "Are you afraid of an uprising from one of your remaining siblings?"

if Leila could see Lelouch's face she would have known that the Emperor's eyes glittered with anticipation.

"Interesting question." Replied the young ruler, deciding to bait the hook a little bit more. "However, what siblings are you talking about?"

Leila smirked, she could practically smell the blood in the water. "Your brother, Prince Schneizel"

"Well, I think that my brother is quite able and ruthless. It's certainly better not to underestimate him." Lelouch remembered his childhood, and how he never once won against his older brother in their chess matches. "I'm sure some of you have heard what happened in Tokyo."

"Freyja," Ayano sighed, eyes closed with despair. It was a terrible weapon that took so many lives, and every time anyone of them thought about that they couldn't help but flinch. "But isn't Britannia the one who made it?"

"You might be surprised, but even if it was my country who opened that Pandora's Box we don't have any of those bombs. Or even the blueprints, for that matter." Lelouch's voice as cold as ice, and the sudden shift from his previously jovial tone made the European pilots tense up again. "I'm basically spilling national secrets to foreigners to tell you about it, but even if I had one I would destroy it. Freyja shouldn't be used by anyone!"

That surprised both teams. None of them had expected him to be so emotional about the superweapon.

"Wow, The White Emperor actually has emotions." Ryo was surprised by the idea that even a Britannian Emperor might find Freyja atrocious, but for Leila something else had become clear.

"You were there, weren't you? You were in Japan when Freyja exploded." Possibly even in Tokyo itself. That sort of trauma would explain exactly why The Emperor hated it.

"Excellent deduction, Ms Leila." Confirmed Lelouch, the chill bleeding away from his voice until it was soft enough not to draw blood with every syllable. "You're right. I was there and saw it. Believe me when I say that weapon like that shouldn't exist."

Placing his left hand over his eyes, Lelouch frowned at the thought of another demonic power that normally shouldn't exist either. "Schneizel has it. And even without the official support of any nation he still has enough resources to create a new one."

"Yes, and if we want to prevent the tragedy in Japan from repeating then we must stop him." Leila sighed quietly, but the admission was loud enough to be heard and everyone under her command was shocked.

"Leila, what are you talking about?" Ayano demanded, not quite willing to accept the obvious.

"Indeed, Lady Leila, what are you talking about?" Lelouch quoted Ayano with a slight smirk, rather hoping that turning Europe's greatest commander would be so easy. "Could it be that you are agreeing to form an alliance with me?"

"No, I don't." The denial was sharp, but Leila had to swallow back the urge to clarify that it was only 'for now'. "Emperor Lelouch, you must understand why I can't join you. We at war and on opposite sides. If you want to form an alliance with us then you must first stop the war!"

"Miss Leila, tell me, do you know why are you doing it all? Why are you fighting for Europe in the first place?" Lelouch asked rhetorically, summoning his own convictions. "I fight this war because I believe – no - I know I will make this world a better place for everyone!"

"A perfect world in other words, huh." chuckled Akito as he pointed his katana at the Shinkiro Imperium. "As much I as wish it was true, it is impossible. Your perfect world is nothing but a dream, Lelouch vi Britannia!" declared the Japanese soldier.

Lelouch just laughed back. "Nothing is impossible, my friend. When you have a goal and the right plan you can achieve anything. Schneizel knows this too, and that is why my brother will not afraid to use anything to achieve his own vision of the perfect world. He wouldn't be afraid to use something like the Freyja on his own homeland...or on his allies."

Those last words made Leila blink several times, trepidation tingling over her nerves. "What do you mean?"

"Did you ever ask yourself how the EU high command was able to find the coordinates of all of Britannia's bases? What do you think? Who gave it to them? And before you suggest that Schneizel is supporting the EU out of the goodness of his heart, let me remind that there always will be a crafty little rat who wants take the biggest piece of cheese no matter the cost to anyone else. Schneizel simply wants to rule the world, and he's willing to bleed it white to do so."

Leila was silent for some time, digesting Lelouch's spiel.

"And what are you offering?" She didn't pay attention to her soldiers when they started asking her what she thought she was doing. All of Leila's attention was focused on the emperor in front of her.

"An alliance." Lelouch reiterated. "Your leaders senselessly only want fight against Britannia, but this is an alliance that many people in EU would want to have, if simply because of the many people that are dying because of this war."

The White Emperor's voice turned softer and more cajoling. "And that's why I want you to help, . The people of the EU love you and think about you as their new messiah, so if you ask them to unite and work with Britannia then many people would follow you."

"In other words, you want me to take power from my lawful commanders - just like you did - and became the new ruler – again, just like you did. And then you want me to work for you." Leila snorted, giving Lelouch a slight glare through their com screens

Lelouch just smirked, mouth twisting with aristocratic arrogance. "Well, you can look at reality. Once upon a time Britannia was the evil empire that wanted nothing beyond more and more power. But the Britannia of yesterday is very different from the Britannia of today, and you know why?' he asked her even though both of them already knew the answer.

"Because of their new ruler." Lelouch nodded emphatically at her answer, but Leila just frowned. "But even if I help you there always would be people that don't want to work with Britannia, and they would raise a revolution to stop me."

Then the smirk on Lelouch's face changed into a cruel smile. "Yes, I had some problems like that with the former nobility. But you know when good words don't work-"

"You must use brute force." Leila finished his words with a sigh. "Yes, I heard about how your loyal followers deal with those kinds of problems... But that is not my method." The blonde woman's voice turned to steel.

"I see." Lelouch's expression shifted into neutrality, concealing all traces of disappointment. "In that case, I won't ask you help me...all I ask you now is to remember regardless of what happens with the EU this offer still stands. I will leave a position open for you in Britannia in case you change your mind."

Leila's eyes went wide. Was he really suggesting that he wanted to be allies even if he totally destroyed the EU? Why?

"Now, I would appreciate it if you and your little friends stay out of my way. I would be… displeased if you were harmed." With those parting words Lelouch intended to fly away and leave behind a confused Leila.

Instead, suddenly someone tried to shoot at him. "What the-" The Shinkiro's blazing red shields protected the monarch while his Hounds wheeled about to open fire on the Alexanders.

"We've caught sight of Emperor Lelouch! I repeat, Emperor Lelouch is within range!" shouted a new voice as the pilot of a new Alexander lead a surge of European knightmares into the abandoned factory district.

In a handful of seconds the horizon had been filled by EU Alexanders that immediately proceeded to open fire on the Shinkiro Imperium.

The Alexanders assaulting the Britannian Emperor were made up of independent squads that weren't under Leila's command. She had no power over them and couldn't stop them.

Not that she was sure she wanted to in the first place.

An hour before she would have been happy to strangle Lelouch vi Britannia to death with her bare hands, but after his sudden appearance and queer offer she didn't know what to think.

The black Hounds switched their targets, volleying back at the newcomers while Wyvern Squad and Asura Team didn't know what to do.

Then one Hound tried to shoot at Franz, prompting Ashley defend his comrade with one of his Alexander's swords.

"Well, it seems that time for negotiations has ended." Ayano growled; her Alexander sighting down one of the Hounds and blasting macrobullets.

The Hound just dodged all her shots, transforming into its Insect Mode and rocketing towards Ayano.

Ryo intercepted the Britannian knightmare, kicking it from the side and smashing one of its factspheres into dull red shards.

"We should have just got rid of these guys from the start." The former Japanese terrorist snarled, bringing his rifle to bear on three Hounds. Once again, the Hounds managed to dodge a member of Wyvern Squad's bullets. "Damn, this guy really good!"

"Last time you said something like that the guy we were fighting almost beat me and Ayano, and then he became a new Knight of the Round!" yelled Yukiya who tried to shoot at one Hound, glaring as it deftly leapt out of the way of his bullets.

They all silently took a second to bitterly reminisce about Arthur Calhoun bloodying them during the Battle of Paris and then going on to become the new Knight of Four.

"Wait, where's Akito and Ashley?" demanded Franz as he and the other members of Asura Team moved to engage another pair of Lelouch's Hounds.

* * *

Leila started at the scene of the fight erupting before her. For once the famous commander didn't know what to do on the battlefield.

"Leila Malcal!" barked Lelouch over their private channel as his Shinkiro Imperium moved into battle position. "I think we have a serious problem right now."

"You're not serious." Leila snarked, tapped her finger against the side of her Alexander's control column. "What do you suggest I do then? I can't just command them to stop, I don't have-"

"Oh, don't worry; I already have an idea about what to do." Lelouch smirked roguishly, making his Shinkiro twitch and sprout green blades from its wrists. "I'm sure you will understand it soon enough." and then Shinkiro Emporium launched itself at her Alexander.

"No! Wait, Lelouch!" Leila's knightmare scrambled back in an effort to put some distance between itself and the black titan bearing down on her. She was still trying to figure out what to say to calm the Emperor's sudden thirst for violence, but before she could come up with something two machines leapt up from behind to stand before her.

Alexander Liberte and Red Ogre loomed protectively for a heartbeat before they rushed at Shinkiro with their katana and swords, going right for the kill.

The Shinkiro Imperium blocked their attack with its blades, straining against the Liberte on the left side and the Red Ogre on the right.

"Damn! Unless I use my Absolute Defense System they can easily kill me." Lelouch clenched his jaw as the Ted Ogre tried to stab through his Shinkiro with another sword from the side. Unless he turned off his weapons entirely he couldn't use the Shinkiro's defense system, but if he turned his weapons off he had no chance of overwhelming the pair of aces.

At the same time, Leila was realized what the White Emperor was doing. He was trying to make a cover story for Wyvern Squad and Asura Team. If Europe's soldiers saw her and the emperor of an enemy nation casually conversing with each other rather than fighting they would label her and her subordinates as traitors. Emperor Lelouch was trying to save her image. The only question why, considering she'd turned down his offer of alliance.

While Lelouch struggled against Akito and Ashley, the other European Alexanders were desperately fighting against the Hounds. It was like the Britannian machines were birthed in the depths of hell; such was their skill.

One Hound leapt on an EU Alexander, a steel blade erupting from its left wrist and stabbing through the Alexander's cockpit in a split second.

Other European machines were brought down by just three rounds, the Hounds triggering the cockpit ejection mechanism and sending the European pilots out of commission.

Even the famed pilots of Wyvern Squad struggled to match up, as when Ryo tried to shoot one of the Hounds and simply prompted it to transform into Insect Mode and rush at him.

The Hound attempted to tackle Ryo's Alexander, but Yukiya managed to bring it down at the last moment with a crack of his sniper rifle. The destroyed Hound hit the pavement, offering Roy and Yukiya a clear view inside its cockpit.

"Guys! There's no pilots in these things!"

'What?" asked Ashley demanded as he and Akito continued to pressure the Britannian Emperor.

"Maybe distance control or Artificial Intelligence." Theorized Akito on an open channel, glancing at the Shinkiro.

"I don't like distance control because the management center must be somewhere near and it can become a weak point. The right answer is AI."

Inside her Alexander Leila nodded in silent agreement, a bit baffled that the Emperor of Britannia was just offering up valuable intel on his nation's technological weapons development.

And the Britannians were using good AI, the blonde woman had to admit. The Hounds were busy with annihilating the EU's Alexanders while her two teams were only able to destroy a single enemy machine. Europe's High Command would wet themselves once she made her report. "It's still hard to believe that you figured out something scientists all across Europe have been trying to create for decades."

"But it's true." Lelouch laughed at the grudging compliment.

"Well, I think I've had enough knightmare training for one day." Then Lelouch launched his chest-mounted slash harkens at Leila's Alexander, sinking the hook deep into her machine and pulling her right up against his black and gold-plated machine. Once her Alexander stood right before him, the Shinkiro's hands settled over her Alexander's hands in an unyielding grip.

From the side, it looked almost like their knightmares were like hugging each other. "Today I may be disappointed in your answer, Lady Leila. But you still an exceptional leader; not to mention how gorgeous you are."

At this comment Leila reluctantly blushed.

"The people will need you, and that's why you must act before it's too late."

Leila wanted to ask Lelouch exactly what he meant with that cryptic comment, but inside Shinkiro Lelouch pressed the detonator that was strapped to his chest.

In the next handful of seconds dozens of explosions lit up the skyline all around Prague. The sight was enough to draw Wyvern Squad's horrified eyes – The emperor had detonated bombs at the sites of the EU's Hadron Cannons!

Lelouch seized the moment while Leila and her troops were still distracted. Metal squealed as the Shinkiro Imperium leapt into the air and transformed into Fortress Mode.

Once the Hounds witnessed their Emperor leave the field they didn't waste any more time, shifting into Insect Mode and retreating back to the Britannian lines.

"I know I already said it, but...that knightmare was just awesome!" Ryo shouted while others in their machines just facepalmed, save for Yukiya.

"I know! That knightmare almost killed me in our first battle, but, yeah! It looked so cool!" The brunette lieutenant squealed enthusiastically, making the rest of Wyvern Squad groan.

"It's like some transformer from the old cartoons." admitted Jan.

"You wanted to say it's like a Decepticon." laughed Alan and everyone here agreed with him.

Leila remained untouched by her friends' humor and relief. "We need to leave the city right now."

Six hours after their midnight fight Wyvern Squad was already far away from Prague with the retreating EU forces. It wasn't even necessary to speak with General Smilas about leaving the city. Once the general heard that all their new Hadron Cannons were destroyed he ordered to all soldiers to abandon the city.

"Well, that's not good." Claus sighed, when he and the rest of Wyvern Squad saw the last updated video on the internet.

Apparently four hours ago Prague was invaded by Britannian forces; who entered the city without any fight. The former citizens who still in the area met them as liberators who rescued them from the so-called tyranny of the EU. It was par for the course as far as the Emperor's other media broadcasts went.

But what there was something the video showed that had Wyvern Squad a bit frightened and a little confused.

In the video the building that the EU had used as the main base was shown, the black and gold-plated knightmare Shinkiro Imperium looming in front of it. The Emperor's personal knightmare cut the flag of Europe into pieces with its talons, all the while the crimson eyes of the monster machine stared into the lens of the camera. Then stark letters appeared, spelling out a short message. 'This can end differently.'

It made Wyvern Squad and Asura Team wonder what message meant. Was it just a general demand to surrender for the EU? Or was it a subtle, personal reference to Lelouch's offer to Leila?

"Jeez, that kid knows who to make things dramatic." Claus chuckled nervously. "Makes you wonder why he didn't try to play at the theatre.' The joke was enough to prompt small giggles from some of people around him.

Many of the others remained quiet before Anna decided to break the silence with a question. "Where is Leila?"

It was Hilda that answered.

"She said that she has to have a conversation with General Smilas."

* * *

In next room, Leila sat ramrod straight at a desk and stared boldly into the screen. Europe's highest ranked general stared back.

"So, Emperor Lelouch did not tell you anything?" Smilas prodded, and Leila nodded with her face carefully blank, She had ordered her subordinates to keep their conversation a secret, even though most of them clearly wondered why.

Wivern Squad was even more suspicious than Asura Team. Roy had outright asked if she wanted to do as Lelouch said to her...and Leila herself didn't know.

"Well." started the general. "In that case, we will head to Russia."

Leila was openly surprised. "Why Russia? There left many nations before Russia."

Smilas just nodded, his mouth pinched with displeasure. "Yes, many little nations that we will use as cover for our main force. Leila, those countries will not have a chance against Britannia. That's why we must go to Russia. There we will prepare and then the EU will strike back!" As he finished Smilas raised his fist in the air, visibly excited with the thought.

"But what about people there?" Leila did everything in her power to not scream at him. If they just abandoned all the innocent citizens, what were they even fighting for?

"Well, we are at war, and you know that in every war we have to make sacrifices. Especially now that many or leaders were arrested, killed, or fled like the cowards they are." Smilas grinned wolfishly. "Because of this, I'm the new Minister of Military Affairs for the EU. And with my new authority I'm ordering you, Commander Malcal, to oversee the Third Battalion, Eighth Knightmares."

Leila's eyes narrowed. Now she had to be responsible not only for the lives of her friends, but the lives of everyone in the battalion that Smilas would give her command over.

Lelouch's words about rats came to her mind, and she couldn't help but imagine a Smilas as one of those rats. He was arrogant, callous, and cared nothing for the lives of the people depending on him. It forced a treacherous little thought to bubble up in the back of her head. Maybe she should agree with Emperor Lelouch? Maybe under Britannian rule the people would live better than they did under the EU…

But she couldn't afford to think like that, especially with even more lives depending on her.

"I understand sir." What else could she say? Smilas was the Minister of Military Affairs. What could she even change when he was controlling Europe from his office while she was off fighting battles.

The general smiled one last time before cutting the video feed.

Again, Leila found herself reflecting on her discussion with Lelouch vi Britannia. Especially what he told her about his brother the way the White Prince treated his allies. It didn't too long to draw comparisons between Smilas and Schneizel.

"Well." smirked Leila. "If our new minister thinks that he is only one who can play dirty, then he seriously mistaken." Purple eyes flashed as she looked back at the screen, but rather than contacting her superior, she was searching for contact numbers for diplomatic consulates in Moscow.

Searching out the right number took only a minute, and Leila hesitated. Then she pressed down.

"This is Embassy of the Military District of India, how can I help you?" asked the operator, her voice formal and polite.

"This is Leila Malcal, an EU military commander, and I want to speak to the Ambassador as fast as possible."

The operator stared at the blonde for a few seconds, dark eyes sharp before she asked. "And what exactly would you like to speak with him about? The Ambassador's time is valuable."

"About matters of national importance regarding all left nations in the EU." Leila shot back coolly, her tone commanding and powerful enough to make the operator twitch from surprise.

"One moment."

If Leila really wants to save the people in those nations Smilas was so willing to abandon from both Britannia and the EU itself, then she needed to think outside the box.

There were really only two options that Leila could see at the moment. Either she sided with a person that she doesn't know and doesn't really want to work with. Or she had to turn to another party she wasn't against cooperation with.

As they had been saying for hundreds of years, the enemy of her enemy was her friend. And simply because she was a Britannian by blood didn't mean she had to go bowing down to Lelouch vi Britannia.

"I hope the UFN will be better than the EU."

* * *

 **(A/N) We're back! Hello, everyone, it is Imperator's slave and I'm more than happy to tell you that we returned! Well, my return since Tahkaullus01 hasn't returned, but I must thank The King in White for his help and now that he agreed to help with the fanfic! I think you will see next chapters soon! At least one year later...**

 **Also, I'm sure that many of you will complain that this chapter went like other chapters with Leila and Wywern squad, well you may be right. I know that many of you said that you are tired of this cliche but I can say that it was the last chapter where Leila and her teams were running away! Believe me! I have changed this chapter from original that I wanted to post the year ago for many reasons and I'm happy with it!**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading and again it nice to be back!**


	16. Unofficial agreement

**Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass and I make no profit writing fanfics about it.**

 **(AN): des be quick updates**

* * *

 **June 15, Outskirts of Helsinki.**

The Britannian invasion of Finland was proceeding according to plan.

While the Swedish forces only had outdated Panzers to pit against Finland's bevy of new Alexanders, Sweden had a gained a powerful new ally to lead the conflict with their neighbor. Though perhaps 'master' was a more accurate descriptor than 'ally'…

Floating above the smoking desolation of what was supposed to be a battlefield, the Caerleon-class airship Grandberry rained down hellfire and murder. Its Gefjun rockets were leagues beyond what the Finns had be prepared for, easily frying the older generations of knightmares that the Europeans still had left in service.

The only serviceable frames the Finns had left were their brand new Alexanders, which were easily overwhelmed by the numerically superior Swedish Panzers and Britannian Vincent Wards.

"Wow, this thing really useful." commented Tink as he and the other members of the Glinda Knights watched the 'battle' from the airship. "It just knocks out their machines in one go."

"And leaving us without work." Leonhardt huffed, folding his arms. "I mean, look! Their Panzers are all just frozen in place waiting to be smashed to bit, and they don't have enough Alexanders to fight back."

"Ha!" laughed Sokkia, pointing at the redhead. "Now you know how I felt when you guys going off to fight without me."

"Oh, shut up."

Prince Marrybell smiled as she observed the bickering pair. They were her knight, her friends; she was glad to have them.

Than her gaze shifted to her Knight. Since the battle in Brussels against Wizard, Oz had been acting a bit odd. But Marrybell could understand her friend's behavior. The knowledge that her uncle an enemy of the state wasn't exactly comforting.

"Hey, Oz." Green eyes shifted towards the Princess. "What do you think we should do with the enemy knightmares that we capture?" Marrybell decided to try and distract Oldrin, hopefully preventing her from spiraling down into a fugue of negative thoughts. "Maybe we should give one of the Alexanders to Sokkia? At least she'll be out of that old Sutherland."

"Hey, your highness! My baby not that old!" squealed the pilot in question. "My Sutherland Eye can beat these Alexanders with one eye...Get it? With one eye." she tried to joke but other members just shook their heads and sighed with disgust.

Then Oldrin giggled. "Actually, I think the image of that dense Sutherland chasing down one of those Alexanders would look funny. One mistake of knigtmare technology trying to kill another."

"See? Oz, gets it… wait, no, that's not right."

Marrybell grinned. Oldrin would definitely overcome the incident with her uncle. She was strong enough.

Suddenly Toto entered the bridge, striding over to the princess and bending at the waist. "Your Highness, the Knight of Two will be here in a few seconds."

Marrybell nodded and waved away the Zevron family's loyal maid, her mind already drifting as she recalled reports of a young but promising Knight of the Round who had supposedly destroyed dozens of enemy troops in the Netherlands. Cinder Fall had been personally chosen by her dear brother as one of Britannia's most talented knightmare pilots.

Air hissed as the door slid open, revealing a black-haired girl with amber eyes clad in the white uniform of the Knights of the Round.

All of Glinda Knights goggled at the sight - some more subtly than others. The male knights were particularly stunned. The rumors spoke about the Knight of Two's beauty, but they had all thought such talk was just the usual brownnosing the rank and file gave their commanding officers.

"Lady Fall, I'm glad to finally meet one of my brother's knights in person." Marrybell greeted the newcomer cheerily, with only a slight narrowing of her eyes belaying her true feelings.

Looking at the Knight of Two, Marrybell couldn't help but admit how beautiful she was. And the idea of such loveliness near her brother made Marrybell feel jealous. Just being in the same room as Cinder Fall irritated the princess.

But regardless of Marrybell's personal opinion, her brother was the Emperor. If Lelouch said that he would send one of his knights to accompany her, then Marrybell had no choice but to welcome. It didn't matter that Lelouch hadn't clarified which Knight of the Round he was sending or what her purpose was to be. An imperial command was an imperial command, and she had to obey.

Cinder smirked with casual arrogance, bowing to the princess. The curtsy was just barely low enough for formal courtesy. "Forgive me for lateness, your highness. Cinder Fall, the Knight of Two is at your service."

"You may rise, Lady Fall." Marrybell smiled tightly. "We've been expecting you. Still, your mission is mystery to me. My dear brother did not tell me the reason you've been deployed here."

"Well, since number of traitors increased..." Cinder eyed Oldrin with a sharp amber glare, prompting the blonde girl to swallow thickly. "His Majesty decided to reveal certain facts only to his most trustworthy circle of advisors."

Marrybell didn't miss what the Knight of Two was implying about Oldrin, and She didn't care for Lady Fall's opinion.

"Hmm, I see." Marry mused, running her thumb across her lower lip and grimaced ever so slightly. "So, my brother decided that he could spare his most trustworthy knight to help me. I suppose I can't blame him. There's no reason for strategic assets to be lying around collecting dust."

The smirk Lady Fall's face twitched, and Marrybell inwardly gloated. No one was missing with her knights...except herself, of course.

"His Majesty was worried about the war front here and ordered me to take Finland and help you. Unlike some, my skills and experience is unquestionable. In fact, I'll even admit that they're worth enough to be acknowledged by our Emperor himself." A sly light glittered in Cinder's eyes. "Personally."

This time it was the smile on the princess' face that twitched.

"I see, haha, Lelouch is probably too busy ruling the empire to come take command here himself, but one of his trusty Knights of the Round is the next best thing. We're so lucky he was able to quickly find warriors to take the positions of those traitors that were loyal to Schneizel." Marrybell shrugged nonchalantly. "Let's just hope that the old saying 'haste makes waste' doesn't come true on this campaign."

"Well, such things might be said about the Knights of Three and Four, taking into account that one is a crazy maniac and the other is a greenhorn." Cinder didn't really care that her deflection was insulting Peter and Arthur. Their only purpose was to shoot and kill, while hers was helping her emperor to plan a war. Cinder know that she was more important than the others. Not even Lelouch's only remaining sister held a position of such trust.

Or so Cinder hoped at least.

"Regardless, my emperor wants to finish the war as fast as possible. That is main reason Emperor Lelouch himself commanding the war theatre in Central Europe. My job as a Knight of the Round is helping him in any capacity he requires. ...while less needed generals can deal with the drudgery." The White Queen met her opponent's sweet smile with a sugary grin of her own.

Both of the ladies had similar malicious thoughts in their heads.

Marrybell mused that it might be easy enough to sabotage Cinder's knightmare before she went to battle. Surely Lelouch would understand that sometimes accidents happened.

Conversely, Cinder was bitterly remembering the fact that Lelouch had said she wasn't to touch Oldrin Zevron. Breaking the girl would be so simple, and the cherry on top would be the effect it would have on the uppity princess. Something happening to her knight would devastate the bitch.

Still, there were other ways to get what she wanted. Perhaps she could find some dirt and give Lelouch reason not to trust his last sister. The rejection might even reduce the incest-loving princess to tears.

While the two of them were busy thinking how to kill and blackmail each other the other Glinda Knights stood in uncomfortable silence.

Oldrin especially was still distressed by the way Lady Fall had implied she was a traitor.

Just like Wizard was.

Eventually it was Tink that decided to try to shift the uncomfortable atmosphere by bringing up a forbidden topic – the latest juicy gossip.

"So, I heard that His Majesty now has two lovers." And once again, like that time in Belgium, Tink found his life flashing before his eyes. Both Cinder and Marrybell turned to him, the murderous expressions on their faces seeping bloodlust.

"I'm sorry, Tink. Did you say something?" Marrybell hissed through her teeth, a muscle twitching along the line of her jaw.

A bead of sweat trickle down Tink's forehead. "Well, there were some rumors among fleet that emperor Lelouch have two lovers. One with green hai-"

Lady Fall placed hand on his shoulder leering down at the young man. "You are must be Tink Lockhart... A loyal and brave member of Glinda Knights, correct?"

It was at that moment Tink realized he should probably fall to his knees and beg for mercy.

"Hmm, I think I need to test your abilities in real fight. What about little match between the two of us? Just me and my Amber against you and your Zetland. You don't need anyone to save – sorry, I mean assist - you. Isn't that right?"

"Yes, Tink." Marrybell cut in, grinning in the same disturbing way as the Knight of Two. "It seems that you have interesting information that I would like to hear from you. Maybe you can tell me about it if – sorry, I mean when - you survive your battle against Lady Fall."

Whose side was she supposed to be on?! Tink wiped a hand across his sweaty brow. It was going to be a long flight.

As Tink turned gray and stumbled away, Cinder and Marrybell looked at each other and gave their first genuine smiles. They were no less full of hidden meaning.

Maybe Cinder would be work with princess Marrybell for time being. Maybe Marrybell had rushed to her conclusion that Lady Fall was a total bitch. In another world, perhaps they could even have been friends.

But in this one, they could only ever be allies of convenience. After all, they both had no intention of sharing Lelouch with the other.

* * *

 **June 17, United States of Japan, UFN Occupied West Tokyo.**

Once the ceasefire agreement with Britannia was signed the Black Knights immediately started building an embassy for the UFN. Some in the media had accused them of jumping the gun considering no final treaty had been signed with the Britannian Empire, but the Order of the Black Knight were making a statement. Even if Freyja had destroyed Tokyo, and even if Zero had 'died', they had no intentions of going anywhere.

One day, Japan would be a unified and free country under the auspices of the United Federation of Nations.

There was still a lot of work to be done in rebuilding Tokyo, but at least for the time being the Black Knights didn't need to be afraid of an attack by the Britannians, The Emperor himself had ratified the agreement, and there were enough Akatsuki knightmare frames in case some 'rogue' Britannian soldiers decided to interrupt them.

Not to mention the Ikaruga floating in the bay.

But on this day construction was temporarily paused as a different issue demanded the personal attention of Sumeragi Kaguya, the Chairwoman of the Supreme Council of the United Federation of Nations.

Sitting alone in her office aboard the Ikaruga, Kaguya stared boldly into the screen at the youngest general in the world. "Hello Commander Malcal. What exactly is it that you wanted to discuss with me? You've gone through quite a bit of trouble to speak to me." she questioned, lips pulled up in her usual politely welcoming smile. Such was the life of a politician.

On other side of the screen the blond general frowned seriously, betraying her lack of expertise in the purely political arena. "Forgive me for the unexpected call, Miss Sumeragi. But what I want to say to you is classified, and if my superiors in the EU knew what I'm going to tell you I would likely be executed for treason."

Kaguya narrowed her eyes. It was really something serious then if the EU High Command would crucify their own messiah over it. "I'm understand, however are you sure you want to have this discussion? The next words that you say may put your life in danger, something that requires a lot of courage to risk."

While Kaguya didn't want to be responsible for Leila's death, she was perfectly willing to bait the woman to get whatever classified information she had. It was first time that someone from EU had contacted the UFN for anything beyond bold demands they invade Britannia. She couldn't miss this opportunity.

"Yes, I'm serious and ready no matter what happens." Leila declared with steely determination. She was no coward, and she intended to give the Chairwoman nothing less than the shocking truth.

"The EU is losing the war."

Silence hung between them for a long moment.

"And?" Kaguya asked with a confused face.

Leila on other hand shocked and appalled. "What do you mean 'and''? We're losing the war! It's not something that you can take lightly!" Leila was more than a little irritated at the Japanese girl.

"I'm sorry, but I'm honestly don't see here any reason to make this information a secret." Kaguya shrugged. "I'm mean everyone in U.F.N already knows that it will end in a Britannian victory. In fact, I'd even suggest the entire world at large knows that Britannia will win."

"What? But how?"

"Forgive me if I offend your union of countries, but the EU never had a real chance against Britannia. Not even in the time of Emperor Charles. In fact, some of us have even made bets about when you will surrender to Emperor Lelouch."

An overwhelming sense of shame filled Leila. Is that really what the whole world thought of the EU? She herself had asserted that they were a proud and strong union that was only experiencing a temporary setback. With enough time and the right supplies, Leila had always had faith that Europe could turn back the tide.

"I put my money in the pot on the chance that it will happen in August." Kaguya said with insolent smile, looking more like the young girl she actually was rather than the regal stateswoman she almost always tried to be.

"L-Let's move on to the main topic of conversation." Leila stuttered, shaking off the mocking comment. "Sadly, for people in the EU..." Or at least Leila hoped it was sad for them. She didn't want to admit that Lelouch vi Britannia really might be a liberator. Not when she'd devoted her own life to fighting for the EU. "We're losing the war and that's why I have decided that it's time to find new ally for our remaining free countries."

A warm bubble of satisfaction curled in Kaguya's belly. That was what she was waiting for.

"And I wanted to talk about the entry of those countries into your federation."

"I see. Well, there's no problem going ahead with that proposal. Of course, we need officially arrange everything, have our votes and so on, but that's only on paper. The only thing we really need now is to arrange a meeting between the EU and UFN leaders to discuss the details."

An uncertain expression flit across Leila's face, and Kaguya zeroed in on it. "Is there something wrong, Commander Malcal?"

"Well, we have a problem. You see, not everyone in the EU decided to join the UFN yet." Leila muttered, and Kaguya's eyes widened. "The problem itself is not so-"

"How many." Kaguya's voice sharpened to frightening intensity, making Leila jerk back in surprise. "How many countries decided to join?"

Leila hesitated before sighing in defeat. "I have spoken with some of the EU leaders in Ukraine and they said that they will try to persuade the others. Everything is being discussed secretly, of course."

"Well, at least you managed to contact us. But if you really want save Europe then you need to move faster." Especially when their opponent was Zero-sama.

Kaguya bit her lip until she tasted the copper tang of blood. No, that part of their revolution was over. They'd been used and betrayed. He wasn't 'Zero' any more. "And against the Demon Emperor that's something that we will hardly have."

Leila nodded in agreement, a momentary furrow pulling at her brow when Kaguya used Lelouch's grim moniker. "Yes, Emperor Lelouch's main goal right now is to fully conquer the EU as fast as possible. From the last meeting between us I think I understand some problems he's facing at the moment."

Kaguya cocked an eyebrow. "Would you mind sharing that conversation?"

Leila shook her head in denial. "Sorry, but I still think it is just my guess. Without serious evidence, I shouldn't go around spouting theories."

"I understand. Well then, Commander Malcal, let's work together and try to save your country."

Leila winced at word 'try'.

"In the end, you and I should stick together. We're the youngest European general and the youngest member of the Supreme Council at the moment." Kaguya smiled winningly, and Leila couldn't help but smile too.

"Yeah, you're right...now when I think about this, we're the youngest general and the youngest councilwoman facing the youngest Britannian Emperor in history right now." both laughed.

"Yes. Heavens, it seems that only teenagers are doing the serious work that is supposed to be done by 'adults' these days. Those adults are so incompetent it's absurd. How did our generation come from theirs'?"

Leila chuckled. "Tell me about it, I think if not for me then no one in EU would dare to fight against Britannia."

What a strange world they lived in.

* * *

 **June 18, 2018. Lublin, Poland**.

After taking the city Lelouch decide to check the progress of his invasion plan again. He knew that C.C, Cinder, and even D.S would call him paranoid for doing it but that was just the way he was. He liked to micromanage, which was a nightmare when he had armies stomping all across Europe.

And in this case, paranoia aside, Lelouch know that he couldn't relax yet. The EU had started to fight for every inch of land with sweat and blood. Now battles were becoming more expensive then Lelouch had planned from the start. Manpower was starting to draw tight and ammunition was running low.

"I know that sometimes things like this happen, but I was hoping economizing use and output would take me further… Nevermind, I can still produce all the knightmares and train all the new soldiers I want. Such is the benefit of being an Emperor with mind control powers." Lelouch complained cynically as he scanned over the latest report regarding the conquest of Lublin.

The White Emperor was lounging in his office on the Avalon, reading report after report while a certain woman was curled on the nearest sofa buried in history texts.

Pink eyes glanced towards her chosen one, and a lazy smile curled on D.S.'s face. "Lelouch, tell me, did you ever visit Russia?".

"You know that I was there." Lelouch scowled, not taking his eyes from papers. "And I don't want to talk about that time." The emperor despised his alter ego Julius Kingsley with all hatred he had.

"No, no, I'm not talking about 'that' time. I mean before that, or after that, I suppose. I heard many times that the Eastern European countries are beautiful and have some kind of special atmosphere."

Finally, Lelouch abandoned his work to study his pink-haired lover. He knew that she 'heard' such things directly from the minds of humans.

"I've always wanted to go there, in fact, I want to see the entire world. But this time in person, not from the memories of people in the Thought Elevator."

"And you will, D.S. I promise I will take you around the world...right after I conquer it." Lelouch joked, making the immortal woman giggle.

"Oh, you're the man every woman dreams about" D.S teased, closing her eyes and laying back. "It almost makes me want to jump on you… but right now you have work to do...and a meeting to attend.".

Lelouch tilted his head. "Meeting? What do you mean by that?" before he could get an answer a fist rapped against the door.

"Please forgive me, Your Majesty. But your guest is on the communications screen."

* * *

Lelouch knew that this moment would come sooner or later, so he was quite content right now. Finally, he was speaking to a European who had enough brains to be useful and enough sense to contact him.

"So, Mister?"

"Alexey Komarov, Your Majesty." Greeted the man who from the first glance looked to be about fifty. He had brown eyes set in a wrinkled face that was marked by time and stress. The grey hair crowning his scalp shone dimly beneath the electric lights. "Also, I'm sorry for the unexpected call, Your Majesty."

"No problem, Mister Komarov." Lelouch nodded regally. "Still, to get to the purpose of your call… I think we both know want you to want to discuss."

The old man on another side of the screen simply looked down. "If your majesty means the fall of the EU, then you are right. That is why I want to make an agreement between us."

Lelouch smirked. First Norway and Sweden, and now someone from Russia was ready to fall under his command, it was too good to be true.

"Mister Komarov, I understand you and I am absolutely ready to come to terms, but let's be honest here." Lelouch's face hardened. "You don't have enough political power to persuade the Russian government to join my empire, do you?"

"No, I fear not, Your Majesty." Komarov demurred, the wrinkles across his face tightening. "In truth, I'm just the leader of the Worker's Party. Yes, we have some influence on the Russian people, but not enough in the Duma. Also with the war today and the military rule our opinion is even less important to the EU."

"I see that you're not happy with how the EU is doing things right now." Lelouch pointed out.

"You can say that. In two words, I'm furious. I'm mad with how these pigs in suits that we're must call our leaders are doing their so-called work." Komarov clenched his teeth with old rage before recalling who he was speaking with. "I'm sorry for this outburst, Your Majesty. Sometimes I find it difficult to deal with everything that is happening lately."

Lelouch just smiled winningly, bestowing forgiveness like a benevolent deity. "Think nothing of it. I'm just surprised that you aren't angry at me for war."

The old mad burst into laughter. "No, no, make no mistake, I'm upset about that too. But in the end, it's not you who started the war. It was the government of the EU."

"That said, not all the people in Russia feel the same way I do." Alexey admitted, threading his fingers together. "Not everyone is ready to join your side. Honestly, I think only my party comrades decide to try our luck and contact you."

"Well, let's make it clean between us then, Mister Komarov. I think it's time to discuss how to convince Russia to join the Britannian Empire."

"Yes. I live here and I might know a way to make it work. However, if that fails you won't have any other choice but to force the Russian people, which might be the best choice anyway."

An incredulous look must have filled Lelouch's face, best Alexey hurried to clarify. "Your majesty, you must understand that the Russian people are a proud nation. The only way to make us really do something is through force. Pretty words not enough, we need a great display of power. Like what you did back in Britannia when you took the throne and changed everything over the next ten days."

Lelouch rolled his eyes. Those were his worst ten days ever.

"Those days made many people here respect you, Your Majesty. They don't care about how young you are. In fact, it's become a plus since many young adults set you as an example. That's the only reason you have the chance to gain Russia's allegiance without taking it through outright war."

"Well, I'm flattered to hear that. Mister Komarov. Contrary to what some may think, I prefer to win through words than bloodshed. If you say that I can take Russia without a war, then I see no problem with it. I'm glad to do what you want."

Komarov shook his head. "No, what I want is for Your Majesty to conquer my country."

After these words there was absolute silence, until:

"Can you repeat that, please."

"I'm asking you to conquer my country."

"What."

"Your Majesty, I can understand why you're so surprised, especially when there's a possibility that you might take Russia without force, but let me make things clearer." Komarov closed his eyes and deeply sighed. "The most peaceful way right now would be of course convincing the people to join your side...but in the long run would lead to future rebellions. Russia is big enough to survive on its own resources, and even against superpowers like the UFN or Britannia we might stand a chance. You've shown enough strength to be a possible ruler for this country, but not enough to be an unquestioned one."

"I see, so you're saying that if I want to hold Russia, I must first prove to the people that I can conquer it. Conquest proves resistance is futile. Not going to war suggests I'm too weak to win an actual war."

"Quite right."

"And I suppose you want to help me with the invasion?" Lelouch smiled bitingly. Information had its price after all, and an insider with Komarov's contacts would be very valuable. The only thing left to determine was the price. In the end, Alexey Komarov just another man who ready to sell his country. Lelouch would just use him for now and after everything is done get rid of him if he proves to be a nuisance.

"Indeed, there something I want to achieve." Alexey grinned with relief, either not noticing or not being bothered by the way Lelouch just rolled his eyes. "I want you to swear to all the Russian people that they won't be expected to fight wars on your behalf."

"Eh?" Lelouch blinked. He hadn't expected this.

"Let me explain then, Your Majesty. I don't want the Russian people play a role in the next pointless war between superpowers, like the conflict that will happen between the Britannian Empire and the UFN."

Lelouch was just confused. Was Komarov really that much of a pacifist? Was that really what the old man wanted?

"But why? Hasn't history proven dozens of times over how strong and fearless your people can be?"

"Yes, that true of course. I would even say having an ally like Russia would be a huge advantage in any war. But…" Komarov sighed. "I'm tired of this. Every day I go home to empty streets. Shops are closing. Children are not allowed go outside because adults fear that bombing can begin at any time. Every day more young men go to the front...and they aren't returning. I've had enough of it. We already lost so many lives during the war with Euro Britannia."

Lelouch carefully studied Komarov's face, looking for a lie in the aged lines and leathered skin. "I know how terrible war can become, but then I have to ask. Why come to me?

"Because I believe that you will be different. Or maybe I just want to believe that. I hope that you will not use power and fear to rule people; that you will not become like your father."

Instinctively, Lelouch wanted to agree. He hated his father and didn't want to be like him. But Lelouch couldn't lie to himself. He knew that he would use power and fear if he needed to. If it was the only way to achieve his goals, then he would use power and fear. Even if it meant being like his father.

But that sort of reflection had no place in negotiations with a potential turncoat.

"Then..." Lelouch made his choice. "Let's make Russia great again! Alexey Komarov, I'm ready to give you any help you need. Simply ask for it. In return, I want you to pass me everything that you find that might possibly be important. Locations, the mood of the people, rumors about the government. All of it."

Lelouch had D.S and the OSI, but there was no harm in getting info from a third source. "Also, I need you to find other people who are like you. People that are ready to join my side. And last thing would be propaganda. Spread the news about EU losses everywhere you can."

"As you command… Your Majesty. But the government will eventually become suspicious of me, any allies I make might end up in prison or simply shot for treason."

Lelouch considered that for a moment. "After Euro Britannia fell some former groups of soldiers who are still loyal to the empire remained in Russia. I will contact them and organize them as your support."

Komarov hesitated, realizing that he was essentially being assigned a subversive militia, but eventually he nodded. He'd gone too far to turn back now.

"Perfect! In that case I think we can end things here for now." Once the call ended the young emperor turned to his aid."Alfred, do you know what the three things that I wanted achieve all my life are?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid not, sir."

Lelouch smiled devilishly. "The first was my desire to kill that man who supposed to be my father. The second was to beat my brother in chess game. And the third was to conquer Russia, the nation that no one could take!"

Alfred blinked. "What about Napoleon?"

Lelouch pouted like a child that had been interrupted. "Besides him!"

"And Euro Britannia did too"

"That's doesn't count either!"

* * *

 **(AN – The King in White):** Hullo. I just wanted to poke my head in and address a review that some of you might be wondering about. I don't direct the story, I just do a lot of quality control. That said, Leila going to the UFN and the UFN agreeing to aid them here is actually much smarter than you would think.

On the surface, no, the UFN doesn't want war with Britannia. But under the surface, of course they do. The only reason they wouldn't have declared war on Britannia the day the EU invaded is bad optics. Lelouch made himself to be the victim, so invading would make the UFN look like bad guys and backlash against its still relatively new institutions.

If a country like Belarus says 'I'm out, I'm leaving the EU and want peace with Britannia' Lelouch can't refuse without looking like a warmonger. He has to stop the invasion and come to terms with the Belarussian government, which would probably be incredibly onesided because of how much more powerful Britannia is, but it would still be peace.

But if they leave the EU, join the UFN, and sue for peace with Britannia at the same time, then Lelouch is in the shithole. Belarus has left the evil empire, joined the good empire (because despite Lelouch's personal image Britannia is still yesterday's evil empire), and said 'we don't wanna fight anymore'. Lelouch is trying to be the good guy, so he must still come to terms, but he has to do it with a rival superpower rather than a small country. Unless Lelouch is willing to go to war with the UFN (which the UFN would think is unlikely, because one superpower versus two isn't really that smart), then the terms of the treaty with Belarus would be pretty light.

Of course, Lelouch could say fuck it and declare war on the UFN too, but that would destroy the image of 'peace loving enlightened Emperor' he's been trying to cultivate. The UFN would not refuse any breakaway European country, because them joining either makes the UFN stronger for the eventual conflict with Britannia that will happen, or it starts the war immediately in a way that makes the UFN look like the good guys.

All these strategic considerations appeal to the UFN leadership as a whole. For those in the inner circle that know about Geass, they've been panting for war since the moment the 'Emperor of Atrocities' ascended the throne.

Fear of the social unrest bad optics causes only goes so far. Give the people a proper crusade against Britannia, and the UFN would be happy enough to lead the charge.


	17. Operation Orange 2

**June 25, 2018. St. Petersburg**

In just ten days emperor Lelouch vi Britannia made another miracle. Over short time, Britannia had managed to take over Poland, Lithuania and was fighting in Belarus and Ukraine. And now Britannia was knocking on the door of Russia from Finland borders, ready to take a city and move even further.

It's not as easy as it sounds though. Majority of the empire officer stuff expected for the eastern countries to surrender without a fight after everything that has happened and taking into account their current state.

 _Turns out we were wrong. Terribly wrong._

From empire's side, they had a powerful fleet under the command of Princess Marrybell mel Britannia and Second Knight of the Round Lady Cinder Fall. Over a short time, two ladies with their abilities won numerous battles in Scandinavian countries. Today, however, their forces tried to storm a Russia's cultural capital city of St Petersburg. Key-word tried. Russian defense didn't let them come closer than to the firing distance of Hadron cannons. The weapon in short time proved itself to be deadly against airships on all fronts. Lady Fall and Princess Marrybell planned, as everyone worth their salt does, but they decided on a rather risky plan.

"Left!" Oldrin shouted inside _Lancelot-Grail Cavalry_ when she and Leonhardt dodged one of Hadron cannons shots. Even with their machines combined, avoiding giant ray of red death was not simple at all. At the moment they were above the ground battle, fighting off enemies and doing their best to survive. Both tasks were not easy.

"Damn! That was close!" The male pilot cursed. "And why are we even in an air?! There's no way we will be able to pass this!" Oldrin didn't want to but she had to agree. The two of them had a hard role; get rid of air units that were stolen Command type Vincents while their ground forces go to the city. It was left unsaid that they better do their damn best to not be shot. They were flying over a battlefield while both the empire and union forces were fighting below them; the _Lancelot-Grail Cavalry_ was destroying knightmares in the air.

"Just focus on air! We must take them out before they manage to break any of our G-1 centers!" The only thing that was protecting the soldiers on earth was a massive mobile commands center. Its shield provided a huge help, but since it couldn't move around very fluidly, this attack was painfully slow. It didn't help that those orange Alexanders were trying to break inside them.

"Yeah, yeah, Sokkia and Tink are there too as well," Leonhardt murmured. Unlike her and Leo their friends had an easy job. "But where is Lady Fall?" Oldrin remembered the face of a second knight and couldn't help but twitch.

Their first meeting did _not_ start well. And things between them didn't improve an iota during their time in Finland. She neither knew nor understood why a black-haired knight did not like her. Maybe she did something to anger Lady Fall. Nevertheless, it was not time to think about it. "Marry said that she went by another way. If I remember correctly, Lady Fall went through the sewer system." She didn't know why but Oldrin was happy with the task the second knight had chosen. "So don't complain about our job!" She barked while _Lancelot-Grail Cavalry_ cut down another Vincent with its swords.

She had to admit that EU pilots learned pretty quickly on how to use stolen knightmares, even better than some of their own soldiers.

Then a squad of enemy Vincent was flying after them, trying to shot them down.

"I can complain about this! We are the only flying unit here, while the second knight is somewhere under an earth, where a problem could be an obstacle in the form of EU soldiers!" He barked and launched two of it Megiddo harkens at another enemy unit that tried to attack from the side. "A problem I feel she's not going to have to be the one to deal with it!" Leonhardt said with anger lacing his tone when they dodged another Hadron shot. "Shit, I don't know why but I feel like Lady Fall especially sent us on a _suicide_ mission."

"Why would you think so?" Oldrin said sarcastically and quickly turned her knightmare aside in order to avoid a Vincent's attack with a lance. After that she used the MVS sword in her hands to cut the unlucky man inside it in half. "I mean I know that she and I didn't have the best start, but there's no way she would send us on a suicide run!" Oldrin _hoped_ so. In the end there no way that honorable knight like Cinder Fall would really send two of them to death. Right?

 _Right?!_

* * *

 **In the sewer system under St. Petersburg**

Cinder sneezed inside her Amber as she and her troops made their way.

 _Someone speaking about me, Hmm maybe it's Lelouch._ Cinder smiled as she entertained that silly myth, but then she remembered where she was and her smile disappeared. She was in the sewers and behind her were a squad of white colored Vincent Wards or _Vultures_ which she took. It was a dark tunnel that surprisingly had enough place for them. She looked at sides and the old half destroyed brick walls gave her the impression that it was built at least a century ago.

When she glanced at their machines Cinder saw that they weren't clean and shiny anymore. _Damn this place and EU with their stupid Hadron cannons! What they have done to my Amber!_ Just like _Vultures,_ her dear Knightmare was covered with— _I don't even want to think about it!_ _Still, it was my plan to use sewers in the first place._ The look of disgust didn't leave her face since they came here. Cinder wasn't some naive soldier, she saw a lot of terrible things in her short life, but even by her standards, it was unbearable to be here.

Cinder was surprised when she and Princess Marrybell found an old map of the city just at the right moment, thanks to their friends in Russia who gave them access to some old documents. The bigger surprise was that EU didn't know or simply didn't care about this tunnel. Of course, there might be reasons as to why. Maybe they didn't know about its existence or simply forgot. It didn't matter in the end.

 _The price of their mistake will be death... I_ _wonder if can clean my Amber with their blood... Why didn't I send that Zevon girl here? Ah, yes, because the probability that she will die in the air is higher than here, and also I just cannot trust her with such an important job._ When Cinder learned about this operation she thought that it was the usual plan: go behind enemy lines and neutralize their artillery. However, it was not as simple as it seems. The White Queen remembered the words, or rather, orders that her Emperor gave her when they spoke last time.

'Remember, Q-2. General Schwarzer is your main target, perhaps an even more important task than taking over the city,' were words of her fiancé but Cinder could not fully understand them. The name was unknown to her, at least until she checked the files. She learned that Schwarzer was a traitor as well as a former noble, which means, more reason for her to kill him.

 _And from Glynda Knights, what a surprise. Just how many unloyal people around Zevon girl? Maybe there something else about her?_ The third fiancé of the Emperor thought to herself. Her Emperor ordered her not to kill a girl, but enough evidence might change Lelouch's mind. She will need to think about it later after she finished this damn mission. But another part of his order confused Cinder.

'When you find him, don't kill him, not immediately at least.' She remembered how Lelouch malevolently smirked, she loved when he did so. 'I will give you something special, a voice message. I want you to play it before the good general. He must hear it and after that, you can do with him anything you want, my Queen.' Cinder didn't know why Lelouch gave her such a strange task.

But it's not like she could argue.

The monitors in her Knightmare flashed meaning that she was in the right position. _Finally._

One of the soldiers behind her, a captain if she remembered correctly started, "My Lady, we're under target." Cinder just rolled her eyes. She would thank for telling obvious if it wasn't her idea to come here in first place, she just needed to let out anger. Don't blame her, a young lady like herself in the sewer wasn't a pleasant thing, and so she was not in a good mood. "Remember your orders! After we take out cannon I will go after the main target while you will join our ground forces. Am I clear?"

Cinder didn't bother to hear their answer as she pointed her super V.R.I.S rifle at the ceiling above her and shot. Her shield activated when the debris started to fall, the absolute defense system protected men behind her as well. Seconds later when her monitor showed bright sun knight of the round closed her eyes and breathed. No more tunnels full of shit. Her day didn't start well, but it can still change for the better.

When Cinder opened her amber eyes, on her face appeared a devilish smile, similar to her emperor. Whatever Schwarzer forces had with him, didn't matter. They are going to be obliterated.

* * *

 **On the streets of St. Petersburg**

The front line was extremely close to streets of the city. Some enemy units even managed to break through the line of defense and tried to make their way inside the city. This, however, never ended well for Britannians because the 'White Reaper' itself was protecting this city today.

When another small group of three _Gloucesters_ entered the Russian city, they were surprised to find nobody here. A hopeful thought that EU made a critical loophole in their defense appeared among them. They even decide to call base and share this incredible discovery, these soldiers could almost feel the taste of another victory for their empire!

But the streets weren't empty.

When one of three _Gloucesters_ was about to move a quick shot rang in the air, at next second the Knightmare exploded. His companions immediately jumped back, raising their rifles and aiming at different directions, trying to find whoever shot one of them. When two of their cockpits were near each another shot was made. This time unknown enemy took two of them – with one bullet. When the smoke that appeared after them vanished, the sniper showed itself.

A Knightmare similar in appearance to old famous Lancelot that was piloted by an also famously traitorous knight. The interesting thing was that this model was piloted by _that_ knight, Suzaku Kururgi, the former Knight of Seven.

It wasn't best day in the life of Suzaku, in fact for a long time he couldn't even remember a day that was _not_ bad. First was an attack from Britannia, which they didn't know about until the very end thanks to EU intelligence that failed to inform them at the right moment. Second, the reinforcement was late, even with Hadron Cannons protecting the sky above them, their army's number was slowly going down. Third, Suzaku was able to recognize the main enemy ship to be the _Grandberry,_ which meant that the Glinda Knights were here. Suzaku had met them in the past. They were strong opponents and might have given him a good fight together if he was in his old _Lancelot_.

Now, _Lancelot Club_ wasn't the worst Knightmare he piloted, but Suzaku could not compare this to his old machine of war. In a sense, it is Lancelot's lesser sister unit or so Mariel told him. She told him that this model was supposed to be used by Black-ops missions but, it didn't mean that Suzaku couldn't use it in open battle.

While he was thinking about how to use his new war machine in a real fight, Suzaku remembered the brown haired girl and how Mariel told him to be careful.

The Japanese knight didn't know why, but it was… nice to know that somebody cared about him again. _Perhaps I've never had a nice day as of late, but something nice did happen._

His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden explosion.

"Sitrep," Suzaku ordered in a private channel. A second later, a knight on other end answered.

"They destroyed one of the canons! They're coming from behind!" The Third Knight of the Round shouted. Just like Suzaku, Gino was in the city helping their 'allies', he was in another part of city protecting hadrons canons, his _Tristan_ gave him an advantage in the air to spot enemy units but now it didn't seem so effective.

Suzaku glared at the smoke that rose in distance. "Too early. General Schwarzer said that we at least must hold out until the night. Gino, I'm going there." Suzaku pointed his Lancelot Club at a direction of explosion when he received a video call from the command center. _Just when I thought about him._ "Sir, we heard an explosion and I'm already hiding there," Suzaku immediately said when the face of the old purist appeared on the monitor.

General Schwarzer was an _intolerable_ _racist_ and believed with wholeheartedly in absolute Darwinism. Even someone like Suzaku who have gotten used to people insulting him for the simple fact he was a Number, the former member of Glinda Knights was unbearable. Since their first meeting, Suzaku did everything to avoid an old man.

"I know that you would be first to go there, Lord Kururugi," he said with faked respect as usual. Both of them aren't fooling each other. Suzaku knew exactly how the man felt about him. "But unfortunately, I need you here." Suzaku narrowed his eyes.

"General, I don't want to sound rude, but I must go and fight. That's an only thing I'm good for. If you need more protection then Nonette will be more than enough." Suzaku was named Angel of Death for a _reason_.

He's too, _too_ good at fighting and killing his enemies.

 _"Kururugi, I order you to stand down and let my forces handle this!" Cornelia barked. Then the hotel exploded._

 _Not hiding behind_.

Schwarzer nodded and said, "I can understand you wish to kill all of these traitors, but we have another problem." Schwarzer focused his look on Suzaku, completely ignoring the hypocrisy of calling other people a traitor, and continued. "It seems that one of the false Knights of the Round here as well." Suzaku's eyes hardened. New Knights of the Round in St. Peterburg of all places? News that Glinda Knights was there was bad enough but this was something even worse. He heard from battle reports that Lelouch found some psychopaths just like himself, to fill in the roles of his new knights.

"She or he is heading to a government building, they know that I'm here." Suzaku could give him credit, the general didn't sound scared or didn't look so.

He thought about another knight of the round who must be there as well. "What about Lady Nonette? Is she here?"

Schwarzer shook his head, "She went to help to EU force on the south-western front, it seems that one who commands this siege learned about our reinforcement. Let's hope that these Europeans can do at least anything right. And Lord Gino," he addressed the blond knight. "I want you to head to the destroyed Hadron cannon. There are still enemy soldiers." Ending the call, Suzaku in his _Lancelot Club_ looked at the monitor on his right where he saw Gino's smiling face.

"Why are you smiling?" He asked his friend. _Just how are you able to keep smiling?_

"You heard him, Suzaku," he said with huge smile."You are going to finally meet the New Knights of the Round, something I myself wanted to do," he said happily, on which Suzaku just rolled his eyes. Sometimes Suzaku wished that Gino wasn't… so Gino. Even with the old Knights all twelve of them were professional at best. The new ones? _Enemies_. "So after the battle, I want you to tell me everything about this new girl knight."

"Why do you think it is a female knight?" Suzaku asked but Gino just waved a hand dismissively.

"I just know, Suzu."

 _"Lulu? REALLY?"_

 _"That's it, I'm calling you Suzu."_

Suzaku banished the memory away.

Gino continued, "Anyway, I'll take care of them. Good luck," Gino called out and went to the battle.

"You too, Gino," and with that Suzaku flew in the opposite direction. He prayed – though he had half a mind that someone like him doesn't deserve to pray or even will be listened to - inside his _Lancelot Club_.

 _Let's hope that it will not end today._

* * *

 **Inside government building**

During the rule of Euro-Britannia instead of making Moscow their capital, surprisingly, it was St. Petersburg that became one. The city had a long and rich history, something that former Archduke liked a lot. Sadly, neither he nor the other nobles were able to protect the city or their lives... But the small changes in architecture that they did were rather beautiful.

The government building, a former residence of Archduke Augusta Henry Velaines himself, was a luxurious palace that was just as good as Pendragon, if not better. A giant fortress-like building made based on the classics of this country's style. It was heavily fortified due to being built as EU's last line of defense as well.

Right now, everybody in the building were working as hard as possible, an enemy was in the city and no one wanted to return under the control of Britannia. Even a former general Schwarzer, but right now he was busy speaking with one of the true knights.

"General, is the enemy already in the city?" Nonette Enneagram asked. The former the Knight of Nine was _not_ in the city, at least not yet. The general in question just nodded.

"Yes, seems that one of the Hadron cannons that EU managed to create was destroyed, my lady." Even in hard times like these, Schwarzer never forgot his obligation as part of the nobility to address people higher than him with the title that is their right. It didn't matter what their nationality was, the Number _Lord Kururugi_ was a fine example of that, no matter how much he wanted to strip the Eleven out of his position. But since he was chosen by their late Emperor Charles he couldn't do anything about it.

"Well, it will take some time before we will enter the city." The Empire was attacking furiously on all fronts and so Nonette was forced to leave the city and join battles on the west front, and now she was heading back with new soldiers to help. "All I could say right now to you is to hold on." Nonette said with a deep sigh.

"I can understand, but if the situation gets worse I will be forced to retreat and we might lose contact with each other." Schwarzer had plans to escape already prepared and men ready to leave. But there was one thing he needed to take care of. "So it will better if you told me where our real prince and princess are hiding." Schwarzer said with a serious tone, he needed to know that for sake of Royal Family.

Nonette didn't suspect him.

She told him the location and Schwarzer smiled, he was sure that Prince Schneizel will be happy.

"Time to finish our little chat, General."

"Very well, see you next time, my lady," he said with an arrogant smile before their connection ended. He left his office and headed to the operative room. On his way there Schwarzer saw a lot of EU soldiers, some avoided his gaze but others surprisingly saluted him. _Odd_.

"Reports!" Schwarzer shouted when he entered the operative room. At the moment, the entire place was a huge mess with papers seemingly everywhere. These people were trying best to be of any kind of help for their brothers on the front. One of the officers turned to him. "Sir, we have lost one canon but others are still holding the enemy." Schwarzer wasn't ashamed to admit to himself that it was nice to be respected by people, who in normal conditions would have been his enemies. Just months ago he was a proud pure-blooded noble general of Holy Britannian Empire but everything changed because of the _other guy_. _Lelouch vi Britannia is the son of commoner harlot, neither he nor his dead sister deserves to be part of Royal family!_

The officer wasn't finished yet. "Also, we were able to recognize one of the ships. It seems that Princess Marrybell is here as well." Schwarzer frowned when he heard that his former commander was in a battle as well. _She's an enemy now, how troublesome for me._

Did he missed his old teammates?

No. As far as the traitor was concerned, _they_ were _traitors, fighting for a false Empire_.

His thoughts were interrupted when one of the officers shouted with horror on his face

"Enemy unit approaching the building!" The old Britannian General immediately looked at a map with narrowed eyes. A single unit, most likely one of these new Knights of the Round. The enemy with absurdly high speed was approaching the building.

It was bad. Neither Lady Nonette nor Lord Kururugi was here yet. _The logical thing to do would be to_ retreat. But the thought was… distasteful. "How much time do we have before Lord Kururugi will be here?" Schwarzer asked one of them.

"About twenty minutes, sir!" The man said with raising fear in his voice, something Schwarzer wasn't surprised to see in EU soldiers. No matter how much respect they show him, they were still nothing but scared swine waiting to be butchered. _I don't want to see them die like that._

Schwarzer blinked.

"And how long before this enemy unit will be here?" Schwarzer asked again.

"About eight minutes," an officer said fearfully and Schwarzer was silent for a few seconds before turning to all of them and loudly announced, "Gentlemen, I will be honest I did not expect you, Europeans, to be so useful and helpful." Many of them tried to ignore this clear insult. General Schwarzer never hid his racism. "But even you don't deserve death under the ruins of this building, so we're starting an evacuation." Their eyes went wide but the general just turned to one of the officers. "Arrange cover for the staff and order the remaining _Alexanders_ pilots to organize protection barrier. If I'm right then it must be one of these new Knights of the Round which that fake Emperor had assigned."

"But what about you, sir?" An officer inquired. Schwarzer smirked and made his way towards the exit.

"I will fulfill my duty as a real Britannian soldier, boy. I want engineers to prepare my Knightmare," he said as he approached the exit door, but before he left he turned to these soldiers.

"Today I show to everyone what it means to be Britannian!"

* * *

"Wait, ple—" before the unfortunate soldier could ask for mercy, a blade of M.V.S cut through his _Alexander_ 's armor and silenced the poor pilot forever. The Britannian pilot responsible then looked around the former battlefield. Smoking remains of her now dead opponents were lying everywhere, but the woman inside the Knightmare felt nothing.

She had her job, these men had theirs, she just did her work better.

And so Cinder Fall turned her _Amber_ around and started to fly towards the main enemy base.

On the way to another government building, Cinder managed to destroy several groups of _Alexanders_. Like annoying bugs, they were everywhere. That was good. That means she was on the right way. That was also bad news because she could easily go on a rampage and wipe out everyone but her main target might as well run away while she was doing this. No, General Schwarzer was a more important prize than the city. Lelouch wanted him for some reason.

 _And I can't say no._

Cinder cleared her thoughts at that, and when she was near the main building, Cinder was not surprised to see a new line of enemies before her _Amber_.

"Just look at this!" Cinder mocked in the open channel. "People who think that they could take me down? You're semi-dead pandas at best!" _Amber Tertiary_ landed before them. "What was my Kill Streak? Oh, yeah, 35!" She cackled as _Alexanders_ opened fire at her. Two of them rushed at her and tried to attack from both sides. Cinder pulled out two Maser Vibration Swords and cut them in half. "Now 37! Come on, boys! Maybe today I will beat my own record!" A group of remain _Alexanders_ spread out in a different direction on an area in front of a government building. "Someone wants to play a hide and seek?" Cinder chuckled. "I always hated this game."

 _Amber Tertiary_ put away its swords and pulled out its Super V.A.R.I.S rifles. Cinder got up in the air and without aiming she simply began firing at all that was in front of her, spreading the red light of death to everything and everyone. She heard explosions of _Alexanders_ and even screams of pain while doing so.

It was a good sign.

When a cloud of dust dissolved she saw that only remaining things were stones of what supposed to be the main hole of the government palace. _Amber Tertiary_ silently went inside. There was no one else anymore to stop her. Even if some of _Alexanders_ survived they wouldn't dare to come after her, not after this power demonstration.

Cinder used her land spinners to enter a particular building. The building's interior style was similar to Pendragon. _Oh, now I remember! There used to live a noble who was Archduke of Verance if I'm not mistaken._ She heard that old noble had decided to stay in the city until the very end when EU army started their attack, and after his death, Euro-Britannia completely collapsed.

 _Because of honor and pride, some people doomed to fail_. Lelouch told her about his time in Japan and about their honor. Because of it, the Japanese Liberation Front was too stubborn to surrender and was only creating more problems for their own nation. The innocent Japanese people paid dearly for their mistakes. Knights of the Round must have honor – Cinder had. She had the honor of Blackwood family, as the Second Knight of the Round and as her Emperor's future wife. _But honor's sooo troublesome. Actually, speaking of this crap._

"And I thought that Russians would fight for every street and yard of their city," Cinder provoked on an open channel in hopes that someone would respond to her. And she wasn't wrong.

Seconds later a hadron blast flew at her. Cinder immediately dodged the blast and jumped to the side. When she looked at the screen she saw who opened fire at her. On stairs in front of her was a _Sutherland Sniper_. Her first thought was that EU had also stolen other types of Knightmares beside _Vincents_ , but then Cinder recognized a color scheme. It was _Glinda Sutherland_. Which means—

"General Schwarzer, former noble but now just another traitor," Cinder declared as _Amber Tertiary_ shifted into a battle position. "Well, at least today there will be one less traitor," Cinder said in her cold as ice voice, but inside his Knightmare, Schwarzer just laughed.

"And who is traitor here? A nobleman like myself who is still serving a real royal family or some little knight who thinks of herself as a hero?" Cinder narrowed her eyes. She couldn't allow her feelings took over her, like that time with redhead insect and his 'best team ever' in the Netherlands. Lelouch said that she should restrain her emotions. She won't fail Lelouch! "Who's here serving some little bastard who was born from a commoner of an empress?!"

 _Insulting his blood? That's it, I'll murder you!_

Without any second thoughts, _Amber Tertiary_ rushed at the _Sutherland_. But the General wasn't a complete fool and knew how dangerous a pilot Cinder Fall was. His _Sutherland Sniper_ went back in the depths of the building with Cinder behind him. While running the _Sutherland Sniper_ opened fire at her Knightmare, but _Amber_ 's shields protected Cinder from every shot. She tried to shoot him back, but Schwarzer knew what to do and was able to dodge as well. When she was close enough the Second Knight launched her Knightmare's two Hip-mounted Slash Harkens at him. One of them was able to disarm his _Sutherland_. Schwarzer didn't start to panic. Instead, he took out a second rifle and fired at a machine in front of him. To what? Futility. _Amber_ 's Absolute Defense System protected her Knightmare against mere bullets.

Cinder chased him until they entered a large room. Suddenly from her sides, two _Alexanders_ jumped on her Knightmare. One of them made itself a leech above her, with her Absolute Defense System acting as a barrier between the two of them. _Amber_ reached the _Alexander_ 's head and gripped it as hard as the Knightmare's fingers were able to. Cinder threw it at her right side where the other _Alexander_ was, causing the both of them to crash into the wall, the first _Alexander_ 's head half destroyed under her grip. Cinder, who was still holding that enemy unit's other half of the head pulled out one of her swords and was about to stab the poor bastard, but his friend threw himself at her and used his Knightmare's blades-attached hands to hit _Amber_ 's cockpit. He failed. Neither he nor his friend failed at making her thoroughly annoyed.

Cinder had enough of these two. With an M.V.S sword in one hand, she decided to finish them for good. She kicked the annoying _Alexander_ on her left with _Amber_ 's foot. Her Knightmare's strength was greater than these EU machines and so the _Alexander_ went flying in the opposite direction. She then turned her glare to the enemy on her right side that was still struggling. Without a second thought, she stabbed the blue _Alexander_ and turned the sword 90 degrees to the right. After it exploded from the excessive damage to its internal structure her gaze fell on the first unit that was trying to stand but was failing, most likely something had broken inside it. Well, Cinder going to send the poor soul to hell. Her _Amber_ jumped at the _Alexander_ and stabbed it as well. After she pulled out her sword Cinder decided that it was enough and it was time to finish the fight.

However, before she could do anything another group of _Alexanders_ entered their fight. This time all of them were orange. All of them were standing near each other, firing at _Amber_. Nothing she needed to fear but _such_ a huge annoyance. She raised her swords and made her attack. In exactly 1.2 second _Amber Tertiary_ rushed forward towards them, cutting every one of them for being on her way. One after another the orange _Alexander_ s exploded.

She threw one of her swords at _Sutherland_ , who started to retreat again. The sword hit the area under a cockpit and the _Sutherland_ exploded. He had luck apparently, considering its cockpit separated before it. After the cockpit hit the ground, General Schwarzer got out of it. Blood was seen on his face but old General pulled out a personal handgun and started shooting at the she-devil before him. _Amber_ didn't even need Absolute Defense System, small bullets could do nothing to her superior Knightmare.

"You're in such despair now. It is an even pity to see a general who used to be a proud noble to be like this," Cinder mocked him. That was the way she liked to see the former high class of Britannia, lying powerless in his own blood waiting for someone to end his miserable life. And like Lelouch had promised to her, she can do with them anything she wishes. "Well, it is a fate of everyone who decides that they are greater than his majesty Emperor Lelouch," she said proudly but Schwarzer decided that he couldn't take it anymore.

"Shut up! I don't care how pitiful I might look! All that matters to me is a Britannian future! And I will make sure that this bastard who you calling an Emperor would not live in it!" Now Cinder was feeling an iota of concern for him. This fool _really_ thought that he had _a chance_ against her Lelouch?

Still, she has a mission to complete. Cinder activated the audio recording that Lelouch had given her. The both of them heard a familiar voice.

"General Schwarzer, please tell me my location." Cinder blinked in confusion. It wasn't Lelouch's voice who said these words, but his older brother Schneizel. Did he found this recording somewhere or made it? While Cinder wondered why Lelouch did it, she did not notice how Schwarzer's eyes went slack. He raised himself from the ground and kneeled before _Amber_. If this didn't confuse her even more then the next words did.

"Right now, your Highness and other members of Royal family are in a Brazil, more precisely in Belem," Schwarzer then said to her the exact coordinates like he was really answering to Schneizel in person. Cinder didn't know what was happening but still, she recorded his words. Seconds later Schwarzer's eyes became normal. Narrowed, idiotic. "What the hell? What happened?" he said in fear and Cinder was curious to learn too. It was strange for the enemy to start telling the location of his leader out of nowhere.

 _Wait, it's not out of the blue_. Cinder's eyes widened, but before she could say anything the audio recording continued to play, and they both heard the voice of the 99th Emperor.

"My queen." Lelouch addressed her with a warm voice. "If you hear this, then Schwarzer most likely told you where is Schneizel." The General in question started to tremble, He did what? "If it's so then my special order worked." Both Cinder and Schwarzer were silent, until the oldest one there started to speak.

"What?" he asked weakly. "What order?! I never told anyone where his highness!" He shouted in denial. For him, this whole situation was some kind of sick joke.

Cinder, who was silent, started to laugh maniacally.

"Why are you laughing? What's so funny? What is going on here?!" Schwarzer yelled at her, fear never leaving his tone.

Cinder on other hand continued to laugh. "What's so funny? My Emperor! Oh, my Emperor just made another miracle! Now I understand!" Cinder couldn't help but laugh again. In a normal situation, it would be impossible but he did it, Lelouch did it. She looked at the man before her like as if he was a used-up doll and said, "He used his power on you." Schwarzer didn't understand her word but it didn't matter. "You _poor_ thing. His majesty programmed you to convey information about Schneizel's location."

Schwarzer's face became pale. "How... Programmed?! That's impossible!" Schwarzer shouted again, and with each moment his injuries took its toll and he was losing his sanity. Cinder noticed it gleefully and laughed again.

 _Lelouch ordered you to be absolutely loyal to Schneizel and when you heard his voice you're a fucking slave!_ Cinder then said to herself."Lelouch, my love, you are a bloody genius! Only your awfully risky plans can work like this!" Cinder didn't know anyone but her Emperor who could come with such a weird and insane plane. And yet it always worked. "Oh! Oh! I suddenly remembered that 'Orange accident' in Japan." Her Emperor most likely decided to do something like that time. "Speaking of oranges," a devilish smile appeared on her face along with a sly look in her eyes. "I don't think we can afford a second Jeremiah, beside you no longer useful to us. So..." The White Queen pulled out Super V.A.R.I.S rifle and pointed at him.

Schwarzer stated at the monster in front of him in fear. He knows very well what will happen soon but he is not going to beg for the mercy from the enemy. His pride won't allow him. "Come on, whore!" he yelled with venom. "Finish your job! But know that you are about to execute the last true General of Britannia!" inside her Amber Cinder just rolled her eyes.

For her, people like him were nothing but old trash long overdue for burning. Always screaming, calling themselves as some true _shit_. They didn't want to be a part of the NEW Britannia – Lelouch's Britannia. It was the start of a new age and she will help to make it, but people like this old crap couldn't see it. Cinder understood that it was their choice to live in the past, and so they will pay for it with their lives.

"If it so than Lelouch's vision of ideal world is almost achieved," The White Queen opened fire and in next second, the last 'true' General of Britannia became nothing but a memory… and dust on the ground.

* * *

His stomach pummeled, and Suzaku could tell that something had gone wrong.

His instincts were screaming about it while he made his way towards a government building. His fears were confirmed when the Japanese Knight saw what was _left_ of the guards. Destroyed _Alexanders_ and ruins were everywhere. Not wasting another moment, Suzaku flew his Knightmare into the building through a giant hole made by their self-invited _guest_.

The building was a familiar one. _How nostalgic. I…_ protected _Lelouch here. When he was Julius._

 _Now he's just Lelouch_. Lelouch was responsible for everything that had happened. All these deaths, all the suffering, all because he is too stubborn to see that his way of doing things cause only more problems in the world. And as the new Emperor, he was waging another fucking war in Europe. _If it is the way he wants to change the world than I won't allow it. One day, one day I will end it, Lelouch but not today. You're just too damn impatient._

A shot was heard.

Suzaku recognized that the sound. V.A.R.I.S. rifle.

The _Lancelot Club_ flew there as fast as possible. On his way there he saw some destroyed units – Europeans. When _Lancelot Club_ entered what he remembered to be the largest room of the building, the first thing Suzaku saw was a Knightmare that was too similar to his old one.

" _Lancelot_?" he whispered to himself. The unknown unit looked exactly like Lancelot, with the only difference being were a different color scheme and slightly bulkier modification. Most likely it was one of those New Knights of the Round that Schwarzer had mentioned. But Suzaku noticed something else; a machine right in front of _Lancelot_ that was almost an exact replica of _Lancelot Albion._

 _So Lloyd and Cecile made another Lancelot Albion._ He didn't know why he felt hurt because of this thought. He knew that two scientists left them right after the second battle in Tokyo, yet it still hurt. He will no longer hear Cecile complaining about the other scientist's complete lack of tact. _Ha, seems that I actually missed Lloyd after all,_ Suzaku thought with a bitter smile.

For some reason, the enemy unit hadn't noticed his presence yet. _Great_. _Lancelot Club_ pulled out a rifle and aimed at the enemy's cockpit – the tiny area where he knew was Lancelot Albion's only vulnerable point.

Suzaku was about to press the trigger when enemy Lancelot turned to him, not moving or trying to raise its weapon, just stood there silently while its pilot said with a cold voice.

"Are you going to shoot or what?"

Suzaku narrowed his eyes. Gino was correct. It was a female pilot who was not afraid of him and he could guess. For her, a mere _Lancelot Club_ was just another Knightmare that was stolen among _Vincent_ generation. She didn't think of him as a dangerous enemy.

 _Yet._

It was pure arrogance, something that all Knights of the Round no matter old or new shared in common. Suzaku was the only non-Britannian member and so did not possess such a trait. He knew all too well that brilliant people, sadly on the enemy's side, could create newer and more powerful generation of Knightmare given enough time.

As far as he's concerned, _his junior_ needs a lesson of humility. "I was just admiring your machine. It is strange to see another _Lancelot_ , never thought Lloyd will actually make a copy of his dearest baby."

"A copy?" The female pilot exhaled loudly – dragging. "You know, I'm TIRED of people mistaking my dear _Amber_ _Tertiary_ for that Traitor's Knightmare." Her voice betrayed her frustration, but then it changed, though the sudden happiness didn't throw Suzaku off a loop. "Oh, I know! From this moment on I will just kill everyone who will call my baby by that name again!"

 _GREAT. Another psycho._

Suzaku shot at her but she dodged – and when he saw she could dodge _fast_ he knew he wouldn't be underestimating her. His enemy pulled out its weapon and shot at _Lancelot Club_ with its Super V.A.R.I.S rifle, but Suzaku had enough experience himself on how to dodge a blast.

"Starting with you!" She yelled happily and shot again. "Good reflex, who are you by the way?"

 _She doesn't know? She clearly knew of my reputation._ Funny, Suzaku haven't met anyone who hasn't recognized him from his voice alone. His reputation as the White Knight was highly distasteful and blown out of proportion for months by the media and the late Charles zi Britannia had exploited the White Reaper thoroughly – Schneizel didn't have compunctions on that either. "Who do you think I am?" The _Lancelot Club_ pulled out its Custom Type Assault Rifle and fired back while taking cover behind one of the supporting columns. The enemy didn't try to do anything when he shot it; his bullets never touched its armor. _Tch,_ "Absolute Defense System? Just like Lelouch's."

"That," the enemy pilot hissed, "Is _Emperor_ Lelouch vi Britannia to you."

Suzaku rolled his eyes, his respect dropping. _Just_ _another mindless follower of that demon._ "About your question, weeeell at first I thought you are someone from Princess Marrybell's platoon and betrayed her as well." Suzaku frowned. _Why?_ He had met the Glinda Knights in the past. They were weird as any other Britannian but from what he gathered, nothing slimy as the rotten part. "Strange Knightmare, lack of discipline. But even they know who I am," she said and rushed to _Lancelot Club_ with its two MVS in hands ready to slash. Suzaku easily dodged the rushed attack and jumped to the side, predicting she was going to propel herself forward and continue forward slashes. Registering his reaction she took up a battle stance and spoke again. "I am Cinder Fall, Second Knight of the Round Table."

"Ah, I gathered from your _ripoff_ Knightmare. Just another blind sad excuse of a _person_ who follows Lelouch." Suzaku didn't bother dodging, his Knightmare more than capable enough to dodge her hasty attack. "You are a fool for following that madman!" Suzaku felt how _Lancelot Albion_ —no— _Amber_ pressed its swords with full strength and forced _Lancelot Club_ to hold back. His machine jumped back, with a rifle at his left hand he started to shoot again, aiming at her Knightmare's face in hopes to hit the precious sensors but her red shield protected it. _Lloyd improved on that. Crap._

"Fool? Oh please, the only one who is a fool here is you," Fall laughed." You and the rest of EU. You guys actually think that you have any chance against His majesty? General Schwarzer was just as ambitious as you and paid with his life for such mistake." Suzaku tightened his grip on his controls. _Another setback_. " _You_ seem to be experienced enough to understand that you must run away, then why are you here?"

In next second, _Lancelot Club_ rushed at _Amber Tertiary_ at high speed, his MVS pointed at the machine. But _Amber_ easily blocked a strike, and immediately after _Amber_ used its slash harkens to disarm him. But she failed - Suzaku jumped back.

"That's right. Run away~!"

 _Judging from the demolished state outside, she's been fighting all day. Amber's been in operation for at least more than four hours now,_ Suzaku thought. _Just like me, but Absolute Defense System's a nightmare on energy life._ Suzaku had _Lancelot Club_ which was a mass-produced version of _Lancelot Albion_ , used less energy, but more than made up its less sophisticated system thanks to his talent in KMF combat. Suzaku was on friendly territory and could refill his machine, while she could not. _I got an idea_.

Suzaku stopped his Knightmare from running. When _Amber_ got _close_ , he shot her at point blank. A waste of energy and predictably, her shield protected her, but Suzaku used the close-up distorted vision to swing _Lancelot Club_ 's sword down at her. When Fall successfully blocked it, _Lancelot Club_ and _Amber Tertiary_ were blocked in a KMF swords duel.

When _Lancelot Club_ tried to create a distance by jumping back, _Amber Tertiary_ closed the distance between them and pressed his Knightmare against a wall. Her two swords were pressed against his one.

"I gotta admit, you are a good fighter," Fall admitted in open channel. "Even in a subpar model, you are able to fight against me. Pity that you are on an enemy side," Fall let out a chuckle.

"The same can be said about you. If not for my _experience_ then you _might_ have killed me already," Suzaku said. He fought with powerful enemies before. However, in that time he had _his_ _Lancelot_. Now? _I understand how my enemies feel whenever they have to fight against me._ "But you are just a pawn in tyrant's game."

 _A pawn. A pawn we will ever be in Lelouch's board. I thought Nunna would be the last straw but apparently she was never his King. No, he clearly had discarded her from memory, continuing to wage war,_ Suzaku's eyes hardened. _When will you maniacs realize that?!_

To his surprise, Fall only laughed.

"Pawn? A pawn! Please, I'm greater than that. I'm a queen piece, _his_ Queen," Fall said in a strange tone, a tone he barely recognized to be pride and happiness. His rising disgust distracted him to stop her next move - Multi-colored copy of _Lancelot_ aimed at _Lancelot Club_. When he prepared to block, instead of shooting _Amber_ launched its two Arm-mounted Slash Harkens at his Knightmare. Suzaku blocked them with his single sword, but apparently Lloyd had upgraded the KMF again considering it hid another couple of shots. The first one aimed at _Lancelot Club_ 's chest and the second at its left leg. Suzaku avoided the first but was unable to avoid the second one.

 _"Live!"_

Suzaku registered the echo of _his_ voice. Before, he was a slave of this command. Over time, though, Suzaku had learned to make it his own prerogative.

Eyes red, Suzaku dodged a hadron blast by a centimeter.

Inside her _Amber_ , Cinder Fall blinked.

"What was that?" She asked weakly, mostly out of surprise, but quickly shook her head and aimed at him again. "Doesn't matter," she concluded and was about to attack him again when her shields activated and protected her from an attack.

From behind.

Something big and green crashed onto her Absolute Defense System and forced _Amber_ to back up by sheer brute force. "Look what we have here!" A female's voice was heard from the open channel, and Suzaku recognized it. "Nonette is here~" Her Knightmare shifted a bit to indicate that she was facing him. "Suzu, it seems that you have trouble here but do not worry. What do you Japanese call it? Oh yeah! _Onee-chan_ Nonette is here to save the day!"

Suzaku cringed. Never mind her incorrect usage of the Japanese suffix, she was addressing him with that stupid nickname to his enemy.

Nonette Enneagram was using a… personally customized _Lancelot Club_ as her personal Knightmare Frame. For one, her KMF's head had… horns that Suzaku wasn't sure it had any practical use other than to announce her propensity for such appendage. And second, what was supposed to be a deadly white machine was green with golden lines.

"We came here to kick some ass!" When Nonette happily shouted that Suzaku looked behind her; dozens of _Alexanders_. _Reinforcements. Better late than never._

"So," Nonette's tone betrayed her seriousness, "Who dares to fight against two Knights of the Round?"

"Wait!" The pilot behind _Amber Tertiary_ 's eyes widened. "Two?!"

"Of course two!" Nonette said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. She put the hand of her Knightmare on its front cockpit." _I_ am Nonette Enneagram, the Knight of Nine. And he," she pointed at the only white KMF in the field next to her. "Is Kururugi Suzaku, Knight of Seven, both ready to kick your ass," Nonette said and pointed her MVS at Amber, and all the soldiers behind her did the same. " _Little_ girl."

For next few seconds, the enemy unit was silent.

 _Are you still as psychotic as you had been or have you gained some sense?_ Suzaku wondered.

Then, _Amber_ pointed its Super V.A.R.I.S rifles at the ceiling and shot a freaking full Burst, collapsing the structure. They avoided the falling debris – some were slow enough to be unlucky – while _Amber_ flew away.

"You little bitch!" Nonette shouted and pointed at _Amber_ to shoot but their enemy already left their vision.

"It's useless, Nonette. She has an Absolute Defense System. You can't take her down by anti-KMF bullets." Suzaku said to her. Then he promptly gave them the sitrep. "Best use it to disrupt her vision because the shield glows red around her. Cinder Fall. The cloned version of _Lancelot Albion_ and calls it _Amber Tertiary_. Responsible for the massacre I have no doubt you've seen when you were on your way."

"General Schwarzer's location?" Nonette absently asked.

 _Another statistic._ "Dead," Suzaku finished.

* * *

 **On the board of Grandberry**

In the sky above the city, the air fleet was flying away from their target. Some of the flying fortresses were damaged but none of them were destroyed. They didn't achieve victory today and so Princess Marrybell decided to retreat and regroup. The city will become theirs. Perhaps not today but it will fall in the end.

 _Princess didn't know about the_ other _goal Lelouch had,_ Cinder thought vindictively, clamoring for her pride. On one hand, she had completed the mission her Emperor gave her but on the other hand, the black haired woman couldn't help but feel anger and disappointment. She did not face some random foe but that Traitor of all people in the world.

 _I didn't even recognize that Traitor's voice! If only I knew, I would have fought seriously! And now I'm the one who ran! I DON'T FUCKING FLEE!_ She was fighting against Suzaku fucking Kururugi. The same Kururugi who 'killed' Zero during a black rebellion and went on to kill so. Many. People. He was called the _White Reaper_. One of the youngest former Knights of the Round was right in front of her. He was here in Russia, an _old junk_ that she could easily destroy! Cinder was furious at herself.

From the logical side, she had little chance against _both_ former Knights of the Round. The Traitor was able to stand against her in a LESSER Knightmare model, for fuck's sake. With the help of Nonette Enneagram? They would have likely been able to take her down. Her _Amber_ had been fighting for too long was running out of energy. Cinder only had enough fuel to return to the main fleet before her systems will be rendered completely dead.

 _That fucking pilot! Because of him, I had to run away! You—ARGGGHH!_ Cinder screamed inside her while thinking about what just happened when she entered her chamber. The room wasn't very luxurious; all it had was large bed and though it was a nice desk, it was like any other in an officer's room. When she had come here for the first time, Cinder had requested to install a TV. Some members of Glinda Knights thought that the Knight of Two wanted it so she could kill some time but Cinder had more important matters than watching the pile of trash that is modern media industry.

 _Now Lelouch is going to be disappointed at me,_ Cinder thought as she accepted a call from the White it was normal situation then she would be happy to speak with him but right now it wasn't. The black haired Knight quickly collected her composure before one second later, the face of the most powerful Emperor in the world appeared on the screen. Before him, the White Knight of the Round kneeled. When she saw the smiling face of her beloved devil Cinder couldn't help but smile as well, glad to see him again despite her sour mood.

His Majesty was sitting on his throne on _Avalon_ , a smile was on his face when he saw his knight. Cinder smothered a giggle when she noted his voice was warm. "I'm glad to see you, my Q-2."

A little shade of red appeared on her cheeks whenever she heard this title. _That's right. I'm the MUCH better version of the Queen piece._ "I want to know about your mission." Straight to the point, just how she liked. Question is, good news or bad news first?

 _Good_ _news first_.

"General Schwarzer has been dealt with. He is no longer among the living," she reported with a formal tone, before raising her head with a sly smirk and giggling. "May I inform your majesty that your plan with Geass worked perfectly," Cinder winked at him and Lelouch smirked.

"You're quick on the uptake for a first-time witness," Lelouch nodded proudly. "Is St. Petersburg ours already?"

 _Darn._ "Well, Lelouch, you see it seems EU soldiers here in the east don't want their asses kicked first. I'm afraid that it will take more time to conquer this city. I had a small… quandary during my mission," Cinder weakly smiled.

The smirk on Lelouch's face disappeared. "I'm rather familiar with that particular defeated expression. Suzaku was there, wasn't he?"

Cinder shifted nervously. "You already knew?"

"I predicted if he was quick with his route there's a chance he'd catch up to you while you were massacring Schwarzer's pawns."

 _And you still trusted me to carry it out,_ Cinder smothered another giggle. _You believed I could match him! Oh, I knew I should have taken that Traitor seriously!_ "I would have dealt with Kururugi too had Nonette Enneagram didn't come with reinforcements and my _Amber_ was running out of energy," Cinder finished and waited for a reprimand. Perhaps, a punishment.

Lelouch didn't berate her. Instead, he asked, "What Knightmare did he use?"

"Um," _Shit. I lost to a lesser KMF model._ "Some old version of _Vincent_. It was similar to original _Lancelot_. Lelouch, I'm sorry that I wasn't able to take him down."

Lelouch waved his hand. "No need for remorse. Suzaku's dangerous even in an old Knightmare – the _Lancelot Club._ I believe the original version had been mass produced. At least, with the finest KMF manufacturers and engineers at my side, he won't be able to retrace what he did during the Black Rebellion."

All she knew about it is the chunk of a fabricated tale the media churned out. _I have to know Lelouch's version of the Black Rebellion._

"I'm not angry at you, my Q-2. You will have your chance to fight them again with full energy. Tell Marry to withdraw the troops. St. Petersburg will remain under EU rule for now. Send these coordinates to Bishop," Cinder nodded but she still had questions.

"But what about these two Knights? And who knows how many there? Not to mention, they have brought new forces there as well," she said with a worried tone. If this carries out a momentum for their enemy then they're a threat to Lelouch's plans for the new world. "Lelouch, If I'm going to fight them all I would need something that will give me the needed edge over them."

Lelouch narrowed his eyes, having an inkling of what she wanted. "We've discussed that. You are still not ready for energy wings, it is too dangerous for you." Cinder wanted to protest but before she could say anything Lelouch added, "I don't want to lose someone I love again." When she heard the last part Cinder's eyes went wide and a warm feeling appeared inside her stomach.

 _He… loves me. It's the first time he openly says this._

Lelouch continued, "If that is all you wanted to discuss—"

"It is, my Emperor," she said with a small smile on her face, completely forgetting that it was Lelouch who had called her.

"Very well, see you next time, my Queen."

The moment the call ended, Cinder was left with a bitter taste. _What a waste of time I've made. Completing the secondary mission while failing the main priority._

 _Kururugi Suzaku,_ Cinder thought. _Don't_ _worry, Lelouch. I won't let you down ever again._ Cinder placed her fist on her chest. Today she showed her arrogance in a duel against the Traitor, and she won't repeat her mistake again. She lost control over herself again and she needed to do something about it. Cinder sat on her bed, thinking about what she learned today and what she will do in the future. _If I want to fight on the same level as Red Lotus then I need to get rid of my weaknesses._ _In the end, the future Empress must be perfect_. A wicked smile appeared on her face while she thought about it.

"Kururugi Suzaku," she said his name aloud. "If I killed you, then that means I'm better than Q-1. Doesn't it?

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 **It's back! No more 1-year updates!... I hope. I will try to stay and finish this story. Anyway, it is good to be back. I hope you liked Lelouch's plan in this chapter. Honestly, when I thought for the first time I thought it might be too absurd but then I remember how Lelouch used** geass **on Jeremiah and Gilbert.**

 **Also, have some news, probably bad. I'm tired of this Britannia and EU war arc.**

 **It was 2 years since I started this project and for 2 years it was this damn war. In the start, I planned a war to go differently, very differently. However, you see the way it is now and I'm happy with it. Yes, it could be been written better and more interesting but I like it the way it is. Still, this arc was going for too long and now it is time to finish this war. Because of this, I had to get rid of several chapters I planned to write in beginning. Nothing serious, I like to think.**

 **Anyway, it is nice to know that people still like this fanfic with all its flaws. I read comments and I love all of them, especially ones with good criticism. Thank you that means a lot to me! See you next time!**


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